First, Thanks again for the warm welcomes and recommendations.
Secondly I just got my delivery from Banggood…… Who-Hoooo!
First opinions…
BLF A6 - Felt a little cheap at first, didn’t like the clip but LOVE the lumen levels. The low is awesome and its levels are spaced out nicely!
Convoy S2+ Red (XML2 T5-5B) - Fit and finish are awesome. Love the metal clicky switch! (better then sunawayman) The glow ring in the bezel is a nice touch!
Convoy C8 in Gray (XML2 T5-5B) - Love the fit and finish. The largest light I own except for the D-Cell Maglight mounted in the truck.
Between the size and the warmish tint, it feels a little retro.
I am hooked on Convoy lights! The only other light I have on order is a an Stainless Ultrafire C3.
I am also a fan of the grey C8s.
Unfortunately Banggood insists on sending me OP reflector models, even though they are listed as having smooth reflectors.
Convoy only recently re-listed them in their Aliex store, but these are the ‘improved’ models with integrated LED shelves, not removable pills.
Does yours have an OP or SMO reflector?
Is it the new or old model? (Banggood also recently listed the new model).
I like to keep track of what’s the latest buzz on the website. I do that by culling the Recent Posts for topics that pique my interest. FYI, I’ve also included links to the website Rules and Deals.
Recent Posts
Click on “Recent Posts” in the upper right hand corner of this screen or on the Main Menu on the left side of the screen or click this link: http://budgetlightforum.com/recent-posts
My early lights are Fenix, Zebralight and Armytek. Then Solarforce and now mostly Convoys — none of which are pre built. I wanted more control over tint and beam profile. In a former life I was an electronics tech, so I ordered a few hosts and a bunch of emitters and drivers and couldn’t be happier (OK I’m a little jealous of the machinists on this forum — but getting my hands on a lathe and milling machine will have to wait a while).
With two solder joints and a dab of thermal paste you can put together some terrific flashlights.
Almost everything I work with has come from Richard (RMM on BLF) at Mountain Electronics. I’ve only needed to go elsewhere for a few useful things, including some optics and some adaptor rings to fit some drivers to some older Armytek Partners. Run, don’t walk, to Mountain Electronics.
One thing I’ve learned. There is a world of fantastic “stuff” out there in places other than Mountain Electronics. Some of it is high quality — and some of it is junk — and some of the junk is still pretty fantastic in their own ways… Finding the gems can be fun. But right now I just want to experiment with emitters and drivers and optics — and I just want to know I’m working with quality parts that will work as advertised. I’ve quickly learned to trust that I’ll get that from Richard — so I go there first.