First big light? Q8 vs S70S vs L6 70.2 ?

Needing help deciding on my first “Big” light. I was set to order the Q8 at the current sweet deal price but am now unsure between this the brand new Convoy L6 70.2 or updated Thorfire s70s. These are my choices cuz they r roughly in same price range after discounts, plus i will have to buy new matched batts for given light. I’m torn between can style vs baton style for this decison, admittedly the baton style seems to hold the lead for me right now.

Regardless I realize this new light will likely be a lesser used light due to size etc. More interested in usability of the light UI and flood/throw, heat management, carry ability, reliability, etc. I mostly own 5” 18650 stick lights i can carry to work, but I’m finally ready for a serious light.

Bottomline if u were limited to one of these 3 which would u pick and why? Any and all opinions, comments are welcome, thx in advance for ur help.

Thx Gents.

I have had all three and would definitely not buy the thorfire due to very high parasitic drain. The light itself is pretty good but you cannot leave it on or your cells will go down.

Now you are down to either q8 or l6. both are good choices. it really comes down to what you are looking for. the l6 will be a better thrower but the q 8 is more compact.

no offense, you cant really carry either of these

There used to be times that a maglite 3D was very common and the L6 is shorter then a 3D

i would say get the q8 it has nice ramping mode, good tints and not too big and still packs 5000+ lumens impressive. i got the l6 way long before the q8 i didnt even know that type of light existed before i joined here but if i had to chose today and didnt own neither i would still go for the q8.

I would go with the L6, the switch is placed in the right place and it balances nicely in your hand, the beam is excellent mix of flood and throw perfect for outdoors use. Heat sinking is great and there is no sudden step down.

Narsil is nice, but the L6 is easier to hold in your hand which is an underestimated part when buying flashlights, after all, you need to hold it.
Otherwise we would all be buying headlamps. Same story about the GT, cool light but very difficult to use it for longer times when carrying with your hands.

L6 beamshot

A terrible yellow. How I hate XHP70.2 :rage:

Well, the picture shows indeed an ugly yellow/greenish tint. In real life it’s hardly noticable and the 5000K XHP70 with R120 mod looks perfectly white to me.

I just recently purchased another light in the same category that you’re looking. I was just about to purchase the Q8 but decided to take a second look at various 4x18650 options.

I decided on the Heikelite MT03 TA devourer.

It has a max output of 21 000 lumens which admittedly won’t last for long at all but the fact that TA (Texas Ace from BLF) redesigned their driver to give maximum output and provide a full ramp is definitely what sold me. I don’t expect the runtimes to be all that great but with the ramping driver and pop-can size I figured it’s pretty much a significantly higher output version of what I wanted in the Q8.

The price was higher than the Q8’s current sale price but the BGLF2 December code at banggood is still working so I got 30% off. There is also a couple codes available at M4DM4X.

1lumens review of the MT03 TA

Design, UI and beam intensity are the differentiators I would consider.

Design. L6 may be more comfortable to carry but the Q8 is somewhat jacket pocketable and I did so this week with much appreciation. It’s also fairly comfortable to hold. Draw.

UI. Q8. No question.

Beam. Do you need it want the extra throw of th L6? I think that’s the defining question. Or, would you value the extra flood and power of stock Q8? Personal preference.

The Q8 is highly regarded here though I can’t say from personal experience because I really don’t like soda can lights. The L6 however, especially the newer version with 70.2 emitter is excellent. Very well built, nice simple controls and great output & cooling.

The Q8 is very stable tail standing.
Very good for illuminating an entire room.

This might actually be what I use my Q8 for most.

S70S for me and asked Jr and he agees though he usually takes a Q8 for after dark dog walk but that’s cause I have the S70.
Which Q8, BLF or Sofirn?
BLF SP70 should be out in the next couple of months which will be like L6 on ’roids

Yea you could also wait for the SP70 which is a fully modded S70/L6. The Q8 has a great ui if you like ramping i not that big a fan of sodacan style lights either.

Usefulness and beam pattern hands down goes to the L6/S70 in a field they have an optimal beam pattern. Id prefer these lights to my MT03 more useable light at most places.

L6 can be resistor modded and that may give you 5500 lumen or around that mark.

I recently bought the Q8 and as a wow light, well, wow.

It’s compact, heavy, blinding and useless for anything unless your side hobby is lighting up most of a city street. If one is in the country then I can see some real use for it.

I paid about $45 USD and very happy with my first “super light”.

A room? You live in a palace? :stuck_out_tongue:

My kitchen has 3000 lumens and the Q8 overwhelms them.

The only complaint is that I would of preferred more in the 5000k range.

It’s just a thought, but my first high lumen light is the Sofirn SP36.

I’ve seen a few places where it’s selling for under $45.

It has three cells so it’s smaller than the Q8, fits in my hand nice and I can slip it in a jacket or jeans pocket. Not as throwy as the Q8 but has about the same lumens, and runs NarcilM 1.2.

I’m really happy with it but like I said it’s my first bigger light.

I had to make the same decision a couple month ago and i decided to go with the BLF Q8 cause it's much more compact than the L6, a light that you can actually carry with you should you need high output. Beside 4 brightness modes for a 4000 lumens light for me is too little so i went with the Narsil firmware instead. If you really need to run the light continuously at high output then L6 is a better solution but if you don't then Q8 is a better light overall.

P/s: You also might want to take a look at Sofirn Q8, almost indentical to BLF Q8 but come with cool white xpl hi emitters for throw.

I agree about throwing the SP36 into the mix. I like mine better than my Q8 lights simply because of the slightly smaller size. I’ve never sought out a dedicated thrower so the beam of the SP36 suits me very well. Its 5000 or 6000 lumens can light up a good distance, at least for my eyes.

lol does nobody like the haikelite MT03TA? It’s making me wonder if I should’ve gone in another direction! :open_mouth: