http://www.fancyflashlights.com/goods.php?id=633
I have a Convoy M2 and im very impressed with it, ive been looking at getting more Convoys. been debating between the S2 and S3, but found this nice looking light.
Does anybody have and experience with it? would like to hear some feedback before purchase. Fastech doesn’t list it yet. its driven pretty hard at 2.5A, so heat will be an issue. but Convoy builds some dam impressive lights for the price.
Cheers!
It sure looks a lot like this.
The OEM D11 I have was a kit, you can view my post on the light here.
I’ve been very happy with it but still plan on swapping the CW XM-L for NW.
It seems to handle the 3A driver well but does get hot quickly on high. Most of the time the 1.0A medium is all I need so it’s not a problem.
The first link says Convoy, but Itinifni’s link appears to go to a XIAOZHI? Do they make Convoy as well then? As per my Xiaoxhi it does not appear to be Ano, from the threads and based on the one I received, it looks suspiciously like matte powder coat but I cannot be sure. The tailcap on my Xiaoxhi looks exactly like the one in the links above, the Convoy S3 and M2 use the same tailcap, but none of my Convoy tailcaps look like the Xiaoxhi. If that is the case then maybe that is why it does not show up on FT.
Like the cooling slots on the head, that’s a good idea on someone’s part, hope we see more of that.
It looks like a nice small design, 800lm is pretty crazy for a small tube, may be worth going in blind.
It does look nice, but the Xiaozhi are the least favoured of the 4 different models I’ve had in that form factor and I will avoid them in future. If it was a Convoy I wouldn’t hesitate to get one myself, but from all the signs, it appears to be a Xiaozhi, reference the lack of anodizing on the threads, the double orange O rings (mine bind and one has ripped off already), the non-glow in the dark lens gasket, the type of tail cap, and the 3 part tube construction that only takes unprotected cells, all Ziaozhi hallmarks that I’ve not seen Convoy use. Besides the cooling vents the clip can be a nice feature for some, but not so if you plan to mount it in some types of brackets such as Weaver Mounts, TwoFish brackets, etc.
Now I’m hoping that Convoy will adopt that vent design, would be perfect for mountain biking.
PS: You can also drive the S3 or M2 hosts at 2.8A if you want to as well with the Nanjg driver, it’s not restricted to this model.
I have the D4
Also known as a Xiaozhi. For the price I think its a very good host. My only complaint was that the switch pcb is a bit too small (so it ends up sitting a bit sideways in it).Can be easily fixed.
I have not used it that much, but o-rings are still fine (I have lubed them) And I can fit 70mm protected cells perfectly fine in mine. The tailcap is black. So not 100% the same as the Xiaozhi.
But the light in OP sure looks more like a “Xiaozhi” light than a Convoy to my eyes.
so you guys don’t think that light is actually a real convoy s4 as they have it listed? maybe I should stay clear of this one?
From what I’ve read, my opinion of the Xia is lower than anyone else’s, but everyone is pretty much agreed that Convoy is the best, and it certainly does not have the characteristics of the existing Convoys (look at that review of the Convoy L2 and even it has parts that match the other Convoys). The picture of them pulling that light out of the Convoy gift box had me totally confused. Also I noted they said they drove it with an 8*7135 and said it was 2.5A, but I thought the math on that had to be 2.8A, so if they get that all wrong what else did they overlook? But really, other than those cool slots for venting, and maybe the pocket clip, what would the advantage be? If you need maximum heat dissipation for 2.8A with limited active cooling, get an M2 host, but if it’s for biking with good airflow you can use an S3 or C20 host from FT. We biked last night for more than an hour with 2 C20’s, 2 S3’s, and an M2, all on high, (also would have used the Xia but it has died), and they were barely warm due to the airflow.
you know, its strange about the xiozhi’s, I got one of the early ones and its been faultless, fits a keeppower 3400mah protected cell fine, tail stands, no issues with the o-rings (I do grease all my lights though) ok I agree, anodized tail cap threads like on the d4 , d5 and d7 would be nice, but having assembled all of the above hosts, I feel the xiozhi’s no worse. I certainly wouldn’t hesitate to try the d11 if I decided to build another edc sized light although the next one I build will be this 16340 host with a nw xp-g2 and one of intloutdoor’s new moonlight drivers with one chip removed.
Convoy S4 now available at FastTech as DIY kit or pre-built with your choice of tints (now including the XM-L T6 4C)!
-Garry
When it comes to budget Chinese flashlights, I don’t think there’s a ‘real’ anything….just a handful of designs and a whole lot of manufacturers who build from them with great variance in quality.
I ordered a couple of the hosts and may have to eat Crow after I get them in consideration of the fact I was convinced they were in fact Xia’s. BTW, it worth noting for some that are ordering the pre assembled XM-L T6 4C as I was doing (because it is the same price as assembling it yourself) in case, like me, they did not notice that the pre assembled version is the 2 group driver that many do not like as you cannot defeat it by soldering the star to get the mode you want. So as an alternative you can buy the host, the emitter, and the 4 group driver for roughly the same price and then solder the star to the way you want it.
I ordered some tritium vials to see if there’s any potential to use them with this model, if not I’ll use them somewhere else.
I missed this thread. I’m a sucker for those cutouts and clip. Wish I saw this before I got my Zowzy!
Gords, I’ve looked at that host, and have a sneaking suspicion that it will need a 16mm driver, or smaller.
I did look too and it looks identical to the small 16340 host at Fasttech ( UF 602-somethingy) sold for $5.60, reviewed on BLF. that one is for a 17mm driver.
Actually this host at cnqg is said to be 18mm thick, you can't fit a 16340 in a 18mm flashlight (unless it is made of tin-foil). So it is 20mm.