Looking for my perfect zoomie

LED Flashlights – General Info 21700 Flashlights
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Hi all,

I’m relatively new to decent flashlights, and am looking for some advice if possible.

I used to have 2 cheap zoomies, liked them but they were lacking power.
At the recommendation of a friend I bought a Sofirn F1, which I really like, but its small and also lacks power.
Then I bought a Convoy S21D, which has a lot of power, good formfactor but no zoom.

In my head my perfect flashlight would be something similar in shape/size/buildquality of the Convoy S21D, with a good far zoom and a very bright led inside. I don’t need a super long runtime heat wise on maximum/turbo, but I would like a decent runtime on half brightness or something. Maybe at least a minute on full power and then an hour on half power would be nice.

Now the question is, does a light like this exist? If so, which one is it? And preferrably on a budget ofcourse (I’d say max 50 euro, can go up a bit if its really the perfect light).

Hope anyone can help :slight_smile:

EDIT: some afterthoughts. The S21D I got was with a XPL Hi. also I imagine that weatherproof is gonna be hard with a zoomie, so its not a hard requirement. Wouldn’t say no to it tho.

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Convoy Z1 is the most recommended zoomie here. Get the CULPM1.TG emitter for good throw and brightness

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Convoy Z1 with a SFT40 would be my recommendation.
The head of the Z1 is larger than the S21D but if you want a powerful Zoomie it’s necessary.

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The only zooming light I have ever seen that is worth anything is Led Lenser. Please remember zooming lights are an absolute terrible compromise between flood and throw. Meaning they dont do either well. Not to mention they introduce significant artifacts due to the zooming mechanism.

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I am a zoom defender for interiors and for nearby photography profits also indoors. I have several zoom that I keep using. But, if I had to choose between zoom and no zoom, I would never, ever choose a zoom. Especially for exteriors because it is the worst that someone can carry as a flashlight: horrible, terrifying, very bad choice. No matter the manufacturer, size, power, etc. Worse, impossible!!!

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I’ve got the perfect one but I forgot the name and model. It is in my flying car right now and I sent that out on an errand to get some groceries. I hope it comes back. It has been gone for about a month.
Edit: Good news, I just got a text from my car.
Never mind, it was a month old mayday. The car was going down. Likley crashed and burned. I doubt the flashlight survived.

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Id choose the convoy z1. On the internet it is called the best zoomable flashlight there is. There are some high powered or long throw emitter options, but the w5050 sq3 gives you a high quality, round, lep like beam. No square being projected like cheap zoomies

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Have a pleasant time at this friendly forum, ZoomiePeter!

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What about the Weltool M8? It’s an 18650 light, so less capacity, but should perform quite well.

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@Lumaine_Moore / INeedMoreLumens / HunterJackson Thanks for the recommendation of the Z1. I feared that it was the best one, cause its a bit bigger than I’d like/weird formfactor. However, you 3 all recommend a different emitter lol. I personally don’t mind a square beam if its brighter (although I agree its not the prettiest). Do you happen to know the brightest emitter that Convoy offers stock?

@ zoulas got a model number maybe? I tried looking but can’t really find one on their website, I must be looking wrong or something.

@ electronvolt very useful response…

@ Oli fuck you. just fuck you.

@ raccoon Thanks for the friendly welcome :slight_smile: cute girl.

@CookieDave oh cool, haven’t heard of that one before. I really like the formfactor and the internal zoom. Sadly $115 is a bit above my price range currently, and it seems to be less bright than the convoy.
If I had the money I would definitely get one to play with tho, so good recommendation, thanks :slight_smile:

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The SFT40 is the brightest emmitter of 3 that were recommended and I believe the brightest Simon(Convoy) offers.

You can see some beam shots of it here:

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Cool thanks :slight_smile: Guess I’ll order that one :slight_smile:

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Note for original poster if you’re thinking of purchasing the Wurrkos TD01C or Sofirn IF22A:

I don’t own them, but from looking at reviews and pictures,
both the Wurrkos TD01C and Sofirn IF22A are fixed focus throwers.

They are not zoomies and do not have adjustable beams.

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Correct, they both of them use fixed TIR lenses, the only Zoomie in my comparison post is the Z1.

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I actually have a soft spot in my heart for Zoomies. My first ‘nice’ LED flashlight was a Nebo Redline. I’ve modded a couple and made them even nicer.

I second the Weltool. Its going to be superbly high quality and will perform very well. If you’re looking f9r a nice one for a relative bargain, the Z1 is the best bet. If you want a beam without the ‘bat signal’ get an led like the SFT40-W or Convoys LMP5050 round die LED behind the 8 amp buck driver.

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One interesting upcoming light is the Wuben X2 Pro. It has multiple emitters, some optimized for throw others for flood. Supposedly you can swap seemlessly between them mimicing the action of a zoomie.

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SFT40 6500K is the brightest, the PM1 has a bit more candela but not by much

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Well, my Z1 arrived in the post.

I’m not too fuzzed about the size of the head, and how much force and rotations it requires to zoom in. but it does give a nice beam and is pretty bright. so thats nice :slight_smile:

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Fenix just came out with a zoomie called the LD45R

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Sorry for this dumb question, but what are the 4 modes and 12 groups things?