Quick,,,C8!

LED Flashlights – General Info 18650 Flashlights
1

I need a quick recommendation for the most reliable AND brightest C8 on the market. I’ve had an old friend I sold one of the very first XM-L C8s to and he needs another, something upgraded from the cheapie he had. I have heard talk of this light being the best…

http://intl-outdoor.com/xintd-c8-v4-xml2-u2t6-18650-flashlight-p-308.html?zenid=aff408b2ee11c2b6be99a1577cd2c6a1

But in Foy’s review of the light, he mentioned the same forgetful mode memory issues I had with two lights with the same driver.

Has anyone else experienced this behavior with the light recently? If so, what recommendations can be given for this light or another?

2

I guess the top two in this category has always been between Xintd and Convoy.

Based on reading other’s experiences here, I am partial to Convoy myself. Especially since it’s about half the price of the other.

3

I don’t have the xintd C8 but I recently bought a Convoy L4 and its very nice…best built C8 I have. It has a forward clickie and it stays in whatever mode you had last, indefinitely. You can keep it on high mode forever without ever seeing the other modes. The side clickie does the mode changing. I can’t really comment on long term reliability though since I’ve only had it a few weeks.

http://www.aliexpress.com/item/Free-Shipping-Convoy-L4-Cree-XM-L2-U2-1A-side-switch-LED-Tactical-Flashlight/1240920792.html

4

How bright is it? How throwy?

5

Memory work fine on mine but I don’t use it very often neither.

Convoy L4 review : -

6

If you don’t mind some light soldering, There’s a better looking host that’s internally a C8. Then you decide the emitter and driver.

But if you want to buy a C8 my vote is also for Convoy.

7

I despise when logos are plastered right on top of the images… Why anyone would think that it’s a good idea is beyond me.

And yeah, if you want a C8 I’d say go for the Convoy…

That L4 is first on my ‘>$20 flashlight to acquire’ list.

8

They’re stock photos. They don’t want someone using photos they took to advertise a similar product or claim that the item in the photos is their own.

9

My personal favorite is the XinTD, with the XM-L2 U2 1C, with the Qlite 3.04A driver. The newest V4 version also now comes with the momentary on, tactical switch. The machining. quality is very good the reflector screws into the brass pill. The convoy’s is aluminum, so if you drive it hard, it could have heat dissipation issues. The XinTD is a little more money, but for $29.95 its a very well built light.

10

+1 on the Xin TD V4. I recently did a little test of all of our C8’s in lumens and throw. Unfortunately I do not have a Convoy C8 to throw in the mix. My only experience with Convoy is my S6 which was just an under achiever. The C8 with its larger head can probably come closer to their rating. . The Xin TD is a little more expensive but it can not be beat for a stock C8. Virtually no heat sag compared to the others. If you are interested in a link to those tests here it is.
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11

I own both the XinTD C8v4, and the Convoy C8. Both in a T6-3C neutral white. XM-L2 emitter on the XinTD, XM-L on the Convoy.

Both are excellent torches, built to a much higher standard than than most Chinese torches. Either of those two would be a very good buy.

However, the XinTD is a little better in several respects:

  • XM-L2 on the XinTD is a more efficient emitter: a little less heat, but 20% more light
  • The XinTD is driven slighty harder. at 3.04a instead the Convoy’s 2.8a
  • Better thermal transfer reduces heat sag, despite the increased current
  • Better choice of modes. The Convoy comes only with 5 modes (H/M/L plus blinkies which can be disabled), whereas the XinTD has a choice of setups. I opted for the 4 mode version: H/M/L plus a very low firefly mode, which is great for leaving the torch on to help finding it again.

However, these differences are nice, but they not critical to me, and if you asked me which was better value. I would be hard-pressed to answer. Are they worth paying 50% more?

If you do choose the cheaper Convoy, I recommend buying it direct from Simon, through this link. He can fit it with an XM-L2 in a choice of tints, including the gorgeous T4 7A3.

12

Convoy C8 host and your choice of xm-l2 emitter and tint combined with a 3A Qlite driver. Add 15 minutes of assembly time and you are off to the races. If going stock it would only be the Convoy L4.

13

While I don’t have a Convoy C8, I have had my hands on some other C8s and a C12. I would say that the XinTD V4 is a much nicer overall light than any of the others I have, the reflector, pill, threads, switch, AR lens, etc. are of better quality. It also comes “ready to run” with no other mods necessary (including the option of moonlight, 2 mode, 3 mode w/ no blinkies, emitter tint, etc…) It is a great value for the quality of light you get.

There is absolutely no problem with the memory on the XinTD Qlite driver as long as you understand how it functions. It needs to be left in a mode for around 2 seconds before it is “memorized”, which is the exact same way that a normal Nanjg 105c driver functions except that I think the Qlite may wait a bit longer before “memorizing” the mode; if you switch modes then quickly turn off the light it won’t have memorized the last place you were at. I have the Qlite in three of my most used lights (Convoy S2, XinTD, C12 MT-G2) and it is my favorite driver for these lights.

Manxbuggy’s test results (linked above in his post) show what I have seen in my admittedly informal comparisons… the XinTD is just as bright or brighter than the others and it does it using less power. I chalk this up to better switch/connection components, XM-L2 led, more efficient reflector, less thermal sag, and AR lens.

14

I have decided to go with the Convoy L4.

15

Aluminium transfers heat better then brass

The convoy c8 also has an OP reflector not smooth

16

New feature of the XinTD C8 which was not mentioned is the forward clicky, it used to be reverse clicky.