New Convoy X3 XP-L - output seems low :-(

LED Flashlights – General Info 18650 Flashlights
1

Hi everybody,

I have just received my first Convoy light from Banggood and whilst I really like the build of the light the output seems to be lower that I expect. I have tried with Eagletac 18650 3400mah, NCR18650PF and also Eneloop Pro 3xAA.

When I use my luxmeter to take ceiling bounce readings of both my Jetbeam SRA40 and Fenix UC40UE (which are both rated as 900 lumen lights) I get readings of around 84-85 for both lights on the meter.

However, when I do the same with the Convoy X3 the highest reading I get is only around 76-77, which given this is a ceiling bounce reading seems to be quite a large difference.

I have taken tailcap current readings and only seem to get around 2Amps using the Eagletac 18650 and Eneloop Pros and around 2.7-2.8Amps using the NCR18650PF cell.

Does anyone have any idea why my X3 output could be so low?

Is there any chance that i could have received a fake from Banggood?

Thank you in advance and enjoy the rest of your weekend, everyone.

Moleyman

2

Is it this one?

Based on your ceiling bounce test you are getting about 90% of the lumen output of your other (~900 lumen) lights. This doesn’t seem so low to me. Note that the current meter you use can lower the current readings. Also the charge level of your battery can affect the performance. If you haven’t already, try the ceiling bounce again with a fully charged cell.

Other than those considerations the output seems not too far off to me. :slight_smile:

Edit: some more explanation. The X3 in my link above advertises 1100 lumens and 3A going to the XPL emitter. At 3A the LED might output 1100 lumens, but then you have losses from the reflector and glass lens which might add up to 15-20%, so that is why your measurement seems reasonable to me.

3

I dont know. I use unprotected Samsung 30q and it works fine… I think their number are legit…

4

Hi again,

Thank you both for taking the time to reply.

I was just finding it strange that a Convoy X3 rated at 1100 lumens was putting out a fair chunk less light that 2 different 900 lumen lights.

I have ordered a couple of Samsung 30Q to give a try and see if that helps - if not, no harm - we all need extra spare cells, right :slight_smile:

Also, my ThorFiore VG15S has turned up today so I will compare that as well.

Thanks again for replying.

Moley

5

Sometimes you can’t compare lights directly on the human eye can’t tell between 800-1100 lumens. And also if you made a 1000lumen convoy s2 and a 1000 lumen c8 it would look different. The reflector size, depth and finish determine the way the light is scattered out the front

6

Hi there,

Thank you for your advice.

I agree with you regarding the human eye finding it hard to accurately assess light volume so that is why I decided to use a luxmeter so that I can get a more accurate and consistent comparison of my various lights etc.

Also, I measure from a ceiling bounce so that I am only measuring “light” and not a hot spot of varying sizes. My SRA40 and UC40 UE are both 900 lumen rated lights - with very different reflector sizes and depths - but when I measure them with my methods they both give very similar numbers in the mid-80s so I am pretty happy with the consistency and repeatability of my process.

I will try my VG15S tonight and see what figures I get for that; I also have a ThorFire S70s in the post so I am hoping that will give me higher numbers than I’ve ever seen before :wink:

Thanks again,

Moley

7

So convoy X3 is 1100 throw lumen…

I have 9000 lumen thrower light that look brighter than 14000 lumen flood.

The guy above is right. Reflection, led, etc…

8

Ceiling bounce isn’t the best test depending on the reflector the hot spots will bounce differently. Even some spheres will read off between flooders and throwers. If the light has springs bypass them.

9

Hi everyone,

I will bear this in mind in future.

As my SRA40 and UC40 UE have such different beam profiles but gave very similar lux readings I thought I would be headed in the right direction for being able to compare in a like-for-like manner, but it seems not.

Thanks again, everyone!

Moley

10

I think your test is probably more or less accurate; the X3 probably does not have 1100 lumens out-the-front. I had added some explanation to my post above.

Some more explanation. The X3 in my link above advertises 1100 lumens and 3A going to the XPL emitter. At 3A the LED might output 1100 lumens, but then you have losses from the reflector and glass lens which might add up to 15-20%, so that is why your measurement seems reasonable to me.

11

I use a 30q in mine as well and get current reading of 3+amp constantly... Give me a few minutes and I will check the output in both my box and tube...

I promised someone that after I got in tonight I would measure the reflector so I will have the X3 out anyway.

12

Okay using a 30q that I charged a few days ago that might have 3 or 4 minutes total run time on it, I got a reading of 1026 lumen using my tube.

Usually it is about 3 to 5% lower if I measure using my box. I constructed the tube just for throwers. It seems to give a much better reading for throwers.

I have it calibrated from 8 different known light sources and re-check that calibration with at least 2 of those before taking the measurement of a light that I may be a little unsure about.

Measured the current at the tail cap too with a certified calibrated meter and got 3.07amp.

I hope this is of some help...