Check the On The Road M9 flashlight.
Besides having a configurable UI (3 group modes), it has USB charging (a ring under which you find the USB-C port). Sturdy light, well made. It takes 18650, though, not 21700s.
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005001781594050.html
My review in case you have some questions: “REVIEW”: On The Road M9 – 1x18650 – 1100 lumens – USB-C Charging – 3 UI Groups
The Sofirn SC32 is kind of a winner. $30’ish of a wildly good flashlight. LINK
The Manker Drumstick was referring to is equally great. That built in cell is a pain in the arse to replace though.
Well if that is the case, she might find the E70 to be too big or heavy. At least my wife does. My wife however DOES love the little Lumintop AA Tool. Of course 14500 are advisable even if only for the environment, but she could power it with (as the name kinda suggests) an AA.
You can learn more about it here:
TOOL AA 2.0 - Lumintop and then buy it from amazon or whatever.
Those things still run super hot with no thermal regulation? If so I wouldn’t give it to someone who isn’t prepared for it. Been a while since I bought a S2+. Hoping those problems are fixed. As well as a few other 7135 driver problems they used to have in the past. All of the older ones I have will burn your hand off if not tended to, protected cell or not.
What? Burning S2+? What did you do, put an SFN43 in them?
Most of the current S2+s have thermal regulation with the 17mm Driver for SST40 ,12groups , max current output 5000mA, Temperature protection management inside driver.
It states:
I wish it would actually get a little hotter.
Neither one has ever been super popular but Simon does have the BD03 and S9 models which both have usb charging….still micro usb unless he’s upgraded those at some point. Both have a few emitter options but older basic drivers. If she likes the look and wants to stick with something slim and tubey like the S2+ then I’ll bet Simon would be willing to swap to a different emitter and/or driver if you asked him, probably for a small fee. The BD03 is a pretty unique light.
The Sofirn SC31 Pro and Wurkkos FC11 are both nice and available in colors…side switches, Anduril firmware which you can muggle down almost however you want to (stepped modes, number of steps, brightness level of each step, or ramping that you can set high and low levels), and both with usb C charging. Emitter choices are ok but nothing nice like the 519A which Simon has a lot of.
The little WildTrail WT3M is still available from them on aliexpress but last I looked only silver. It’s a super compact triple with 21700 and Anduril, usb C. The head is a bit wider but it’s a very pocketable light with great output. I don’t think there are any left on amazon but you could search the model number only and maybe it’ll pop up.
The Wurkkos TS21 or TS22 maybe worth a look, too, 21700 Anduril. 21700 is necessarily a little fatter but the cells sure give better performance and longer run time on most lights/modes.
I think an S21E with a 4500K 519B LED would be a great gift!
And if you want a smaller flashlight, the S9 with a 4500K 219B LED would be equally as great. I gave an S9 to a friend last year, but went with a XM-L2 for more lumens.
Both you never need to remove the battery to charge them and have low voltage and temperature control protection.
I think the ramping firmware is good and intuitive, but you could also switch it to a simple 4 mode flashlight.
I’m a Convoy fanboy too!
give him the s2+ in group 5 (1-20-100) simple ui, without memory if you want and that’s it. not so much nonsense of clicks.
I’ve wanted to try that Convoy, S21e you said? But I am already rocking a Sofirn IF25A and a couple of SC31Pro’s for pocket lights with on board charging and they are great.
Take a S2+ from 4 or so years ago. Crank that baby up to 100%. Your cell will make the brightness drop before any type of thermal regulation. Two and a half amps through a thin tube light is going to get hot, fast. XPL or any type of Nichia will get that light smoking. If you doubt it then you haven’t done it.
I wouldn’t give that type of light to a newcomer. That’s just me though. I’ve been wrong before so I’m likely to be wrong again.
djozz’s interesting test from several years ago: 7135x8 on a 30Q left to fend for itself……yeeowch. (temp graph at the end)
Good thing it isn’t 4 years ago any more then. The current ones get warm but far from being able to burn your hand. Maybe warm up your tea.
Anyway I also wish Simon would update his old micro usb lights to usb-c. Some of those designs are nice.
For heat / runtime issues, don’t forget that convoys have that 0.1/1/10/50 mode.
I use it with the l21b to allow passing around and a 100% duty cycle max.
I’d say the opposite tbh… although it might be dependant on the exact LED and battery you are running. 55 degrees is very hot to hold. I’ve recently got an Osram W1 S2+, it gets too hot IMO. Not very nice to hold and you really need gloves or have to turn it off. It also gets to temp very quickly.
I don’t think you can. You can switch it from smooth ramping to 4 stepped ramping. But it is still ramping. It doesn’t change the fundamentals of how it works.
I was tailstanding a 2.8A S2+ when the bulbs blew in a storage room. 5-10min tops. Went to grab it to turn if off, and it was like grabbing the business end of a curling iron.
Barely managed to use a shirt as an improvised oven-mitt, just long enough to turn it off before it went supernova. Took another 10min or so before I could even grab it with the shirt.
Don’t underestimate how hot they can get.
If you’re getting it for The Muggle, get a lower-current light. Maybe 4 or 6 7135s instead of 8. (Dunno its newre drivers, if any.)
But yeah, Sofirn and Wurkkos are solid lights, too. Honestly, I’m all flashlighted out to keep tabs on all the different new lights in all the major brands, so my own knowledge is already outdated.
But if getting a light that doesn’t have onboard charging, see if you got or can get a cell with built-in charger. They’ll have the charging circuit and protection built-in, which is perfect for The Muggle.
That’s strange since it shouldn’t depend on the LED or battery since the driver should start stepping down when it reaches the set temperature.
I just measured my triple 519A S3 on high. It gets to around 110 degrees Fahrenheit and then starts stepping down. That’s not even close to being too hot.
Maybe I’m more used to my MTN FET drivers that get almost unbearable hot before they step down, unless I change the max temp.
I know we all have different tolerances, but I agree. I think 55 C is about as warm as a cup of tea - which is to say, nowhere near what I’d call too hot. Maybe the skin on my hands is thick?
I have had a few S2+’s in my regular EDC rotation, SST20, 219b, 519a, Osram W1, and never had issues using them at 100% - although to echo Chicken Drumstick I do agree that the Osram W1 gets up to top heat very quickly.