I think you’re better served by a “floody” beam so that you can also see hazards to the sides as well as be more visible to the sides yourself. Something with a less focused hotspot would be my choice. A concentrated beam will ‘wiggle’ across your path with normal handlebar movement which to me is disconcerting while a wider beam won’t. With enough lumens you’ll still have enough light as far ahead as you need.
I don’t have one but a ConvoyS2+ seems like a good choice for this, the beam profile is similar to my A6 which I’d consider ideal, but that’s more a ‘hot rod’ than a light meant for hard service. Real Convoys from Simon at aliexpress or from FastTech. I like the latter as they have many more emitter options listed so you can get the tints/ lumens output you want. Get cells from Mtn Electronics, always genuine and he only sells the really good ones. Xtar MC1 charger for cheap and simple, or Xtar VC2 for a comprehensive charger at a good price. Shop carefully and all can be had for around $50 or less. Cells and chargers useful for the other lights you’ll find yourself buying so a good bargain indeed. (Oh, we forgot to mention this hobby is addicting so plan for more lights now :bigsmile: )
As mentioned the “spot” will be a bit jumpy; the S2 reflector is deeper and gives a tighter spot than the S2+
Either one can be modified to a wide angle optic with this sort of lens:
more general search for various sizes;
(free US shipping, inexpensive, very nice effect)
(in Europe look for Ledil products, same kind of thing)
It’s ordered but it is my Christmas present so I will have to wait. I ordered the s2+ and a pair of Sanyo ncr18650bf cells and a Soshine sc-s2 dual channel charger. I hope I bought the right stuff! Why can’t all 18650 cells be the same damn dimensions lol! Man researching all these batteries was intense. Ot like the good old days when you just went and bought an 8 pack of energizer AA batteries at Wally World lol!
Because (1) there’s no standard construction yet — manufacturers are trying to come up with a design that is safer and longer-lasting, and
(2) none of them come with a circuit to protect them from overcharging or over-discharging, both of which are unsafe (see (1))
so (3) there are a lot of aftermarket third party addon circuit boards, some of them good, tacked on and shrinkwrapped, to make them safer, plus
(4) there are a lot of fakes and variations out there
Can anyone paste some reliable links to a NW (perhaps even a WW) version of S2 and S2+, and some decent and recent budget 18650s? Something in the range of pink Sanyo 18650s from ~3 years ago? Or better, of course, but same price/performance class as these were 3y ago?
These are the batteries I bought. SANYO CELLS Don’t know a thing about them but I saw you mentioning Sanyos. I was so nervous about which batteries to buy because I didn’t want counterfits that would blow up in my face etc. Researching told me that Panasonic made Sanyo cells. In fact I think they may own sanyo.
I forgot to ask early on. Can you leave 18650s and other Li Ion batteries in devices for the same amount of time as a standard alkaline without being used or is there something different about these batteries that warrants them being removed if going unused for weeks at a time? And can you use automotive dielectric grease on threads, orings, and battery ends of a flashlight?
It depends. Some devices (and some battery boxes for bike lights) slowly drain batteries even when stored on the shelf.
And some devices (and some batteries) have no, or fake, or poor quality discharge protection circuits so they don’t shut off the circuit when the battery voltage gets as low as it ever should be allowed to.
The good news is, li-ions won’t leak corrosive gunk all over the inside of your flashlight in normal use.
The bad news is, with li-ions, you have to know when not to inhale. Look into li-ion safety. It’s a low-likelihood but high-risk battery chemistry
So in a nutshell after every use it us,wise to remove the battery and put it back in its storage case? And I will let you guys know how I like my new convoy!
Figure out what you have — if you’re using li-ions you definitely should have a DMM and be checking voltage.
That’s fundamental to using these as single cells.
Once you’ve done the checks you’ll know if your device drains cells while turned off, and you’ll know if you have a low-voltage shutdown that works.
there has been multiple threads on flashlights for biking/mtb, you might want to read up on those threads…
The S2+ is a great choice to wet your feet, it may prove suffice for your use, or not, only time and usage
will tell… FWIW, I’ve tried the S2+ and many other lights, both on bar and helmet.
You’d mentioned MTBing…
Since you’ve already ordered the 2fish mount, try it first. But the Fenix mount is rock solid and all those who
use it rec it:
~$12, use coupon code “alb10” as posted by M4D M4X
For helmet mount, I use strips of velcro, you might need to adjust the angle depending on your helmet.
For the handlebar light, I prefer a very wide floody beam and use DCFix. You can get it cheapest here:
Lastly, depending on how bumpy your trails and how fast you go, the light on the handlebar may rattle to its
early demise. Has happened to me. My handlebar light is sealed with potting material. If you’re buying from
MTN you prob could ask to have it done as well.
I actually think a nice bright light on the helmet would be just as good if not better than one on the bars. I can see what your saying about rattling too much. The thing I like about a helmet light is that where ever you turn your head the light follows. I am not even sure if you have a bright enough one on your helmet if a handlebar light is even necessary. I will have to experiment and find out.
A handlebar light lights up where the wheel is pointed.
A head-mounted light lights up where you’re looking.
You’ll need both (and your peripheral vision) at one time or another, to avoid trouble.
With the convoys there’s no problem leaving your cells inside.
Even when they get low you’ll know there’s a blinky to tell you to charge your cells (good ol nanjg cell protection in convoys)
Just remember that:
-if you are not using the lights for a long period of time, charge the 18650’s to almost full before storage. (4.0v is ok. don’t fully charge them nor leave it hungry for storage)
-treat your 18650 like how you treat your brand new smartphone.
-observe your 18650 like a newborn baby when you are charging them up. (if it gets hot to touch you need to unplug things and run)
Like hank said, get a digital multi-meter (DMM.) I can’t see doing 18650’s without one. I consider 4.25V the pretty much absolute max, and try to keep them from going too much under 3V (some go to 2.5V, though.)
I got two cheap ones, they both said the same thing, (less than 1/100 difference when I tested, ) so they should be right imo.
The main thing that controls brightness is how many amps the led driver is sending to the led. If you know how to solder, you can change these, and the leds.
I think you are going to be around 1-2 A, between heat and battery life. That’s my guess. You can test amps with some DMM.
