My first

LED Flashlights – General Info
1

First hello to all, as I am new here.

Ive came across this forum as I searched for some EDC light up to 20$ . The Convoy S2+ caught my eye , and I’m really keen on getting it.
All I read on here and around internet are praises for those flashlights. So my question is are there any other you would recommend from Aliexp, I live in Serbia(Europe) so Ali is my first choice… It doesn’t have to have a 18650 battery, AA and AAA flashlights are welcome

As for S2+ I was thinking of T6-3B and 4x7135, because I would like a longer running time with decent lightning for biking in the night(1h ride max), and occasional night hiking/camping. I will be carrying at least 1 more battery as backup.
I was reading on forum and saw there was a new firmware for those drivers , do i ask on ali before ordering to get it or ?

P.S. I hope my English is good enough and you have understood what i wanted to say :smiley:

Cheers

2

You will be ordering it on Aliexpress right?

If so, you did good choosing 4x7135 and the U6 4C variant. Looks quite good IMO, and is very efficient. The new firmware is called Biscotti. It’s much better than the old firmware, and features very low brightness mode along with customization options for the modes. Just look for Biscotti in the text somewhere, and order the S2+ in any color you want :beer:

Also, as you said before, I would recommend buying at least 2x18650s. The Samsung 30Q, Samsung 25R, LG HG2, NCR18650GA are all good choices for high capacity and power. Pick any of them and you will be good.

If you want other lights, specifically AA sized, go to the Sofirn store, and check out the Sofirn SP10A/B. You can choose them in blue, red, and black. I would go with red personally. You can even NiMH rechargeable AA cells on their store if you want them in your order, and they are good legitimate cells.

Some links.

Convoy S2+ with Biscotti: https://www.aliexpress.com/store/product/Violet-S2-flashlight-with-XPL-HI-led-inside-and-ar-coated-glass-biscotti-firmware/330416_32887037637.html?spm=2114.12010612.8148356.72.2de96d6cIFhErJ

Sofirn SP10B: https://www.aliexpress.com/store/product/Sofirn-SP10A-SP10B-Mini-LED-Flashlight-AA-14500-Pocket-Light-Cree-XPG2-573lm-Keychain-Light-Waterproof/2933049_32835929898.html?spm=2114.12010612.8148356.4.32da5da8NCVHc7

Rechargeable AA cells:
https://www.aliexpress.com/store/product/LED-flashlight-AA-NiMh-2200mAh-Rechargeable-Batteries-with-1100-Cycle-High-Capacity-Precharged-Battery-4-Pack/2933049_32807005150.html?spm=2114.12010612.8148356.8.8e6e7034LRdO6D

Here is where you can buy 18650 in Europe:

3

I’d say get the 8*7135 and just use the lower modes for runtime. Then you’ll have a 900lm light when you want it

4

And collect various 20mm TIR lenses that just drop into the S2+. Makes the 4C tint a beautiful beam…

5

+1

6

Hi Skovacijer,
I have Sofirn SP10B and I’m very happy.
If you have IKEA close to you then buy LADDA 2450 mAh which are decent AA batteries
Here is HJK’s test of these batteries

7

Thanks)!

8

I’d go for the Convoy S2+ with 6 chips, tint 4C (for the 18650 type battery) and as stated above, Sofirn SP10B for the AA/14500 (LiIon) variant.
Ladda AA NiMH accus from Ikea are good. Also, 14500 type Lithiunm made by Soshine - 900 mAh, the button top white/yellow variant.

9

The BLF A6 non-annodized is also available from Ali, but is a little over your $20 budget. See this You Tube video for a review. The BLF A6 is a classic (and my personal favorite) in the 18650 tube-form-factor. If you don't get it now, perhaps someday you will. Take care, and welcome to BLF!

10

Thanks all!!
And one more question is there any difference between that s2+ in gray and black color besides the color , because as Ive seen gray has been ordered much more than the black one ?

11

Well, there’s gray-gray, blue-gray, and black-gray.

The UV version comes in the black-gray, the “gray” is typically the blue-gray, and I forget which is the one you gotta order to get the gray-gray.

12

Not sure if still active, but bilakos had a coupon code not long ago for Astrolux S1 which is the same as BLF A6, shorty version for $16:

An 18650 tube is about $3.

13

The vendor for this A6 deal was (is) BangGood, and I don't think they ship to Serbia. During my trial checkout, Serbia wasn't a selection in the country dropdown. Skovacijer, have you looked at BangGood.com?

14

Sooo, where do we get these?

15

Blf A6 is a good choice .Only downside is the tints are kinda sucky .

The grey S2+ is the old one with sharper edges on the tailcap .(it's the best grey ) the blue grey is the one they give away for like 8$ during super sales (it's the ugliest ) and the only other grey i Know is the older s2 .

16

Was gonna say “anywhere”, but in Greece? Dunno. Can be had from Amazon (goggle “20mm collimating lens”), and here in the States is LEDSupply, among others. Just got a few from AX a while ago.

So, yeah, kinda anywhere, especially if you find ’em on AX (various suppliers, of course).

Try variants of “20mm”, “lens”, “TIR”, etc.

Here’re those I got on AX, ’though those are 17mm:

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/CREE-XML-lens-T5-T6-U2-Lens-Diameter-17mm-Bead-surface-60-degrees-5050-lenses-High/32630479277.html

Like I said, just goggle around.

17

Thanks Lightbringer :beer:

18

Yeah Ive looked on BangGood, they do ship to Serbia surprisingly. Im gonna check that out as soon as I get my card from bank , experts f`ed something up again, been waiting for it over 10 days , hope i get it before the sale ends :slight_smile:

19

Just to make sure I understand, “just drop” means disassembling the head from the inside, correct?

20

Had this drop into my lap today:

So you can get a complete set in one shot.