I was just nosing around on one of the sellers sites at some possible purchases. I clicked on one that I am interested in and took a look at the options and almost fell out of my chair.
I am NEW at this stuff and don’t know what all the specs and emitters mean. I’ve never modded a light and suspect I won’t ever try it. I just want to buy a light and have it work for me the way I wanted it to.
So, here is what I am talking about. Take a look down the page a bit at all the different Convoy lights and options for them. I am looking at the S2. I used to have an S2+. Look at the choices for that light and then the S2.
When you see this stuff is it any wonder why so many people don’t understand these things and need help? I would say that the majority of questions I ask in public and private are about help picking out a light and comparing one to another. I don’t understand this myriad of options.
Is there anyother site I can go to that has a Cheat Sheet on this stuff that will DUMB IT DOWN for people like me and help us understand it better?
FastTech make it over complex on some of their listings, not sure why. Just an odd web setup and info you don’t need.
Basically despite you clicking on a single produce, the drop down then lists different versions. But they also list all those options on the search and browse pages before you drill down to the item you want.
Banggood make it a bit simpler:
However in essence, it’s a bit like buying a car, or anything complex. You will need some understanding.
Make -> Model
Convoy -> S2
The first bit in the drop down on FastTech is the Model, no idea why, but they even list different models in that drop down, e.g. M1
Next up is emitter type and bin.
Type is the physical size, common being XM-L, XM-L2, XP-G-, XP-G2, XP-E
The ones with a 2 in are a newer generation emitter.
Bin is the output level. LED’s are “binned” or categorised into different banding’s, such as U2, T6
The next thing on FastTech’s drop down is the driver current. More current = more lumen output for a given LED, more heat and potentially lower runtimes.
Next up they are trying to describe the driver behaviour and modes. e.g. some lights are single mode, just on/off. Others might have 3 output levels High, Medium and Low. Or they might have strobe modes.
Some lights are semi programmable to allow either 3 output modes, or 5 output modes. This is what the drop down is trying to say.
