At the end there will be a summary for those who like only particulars. In each topic I will **bold** the key sentences, so it will be easier to notice what's the most important. Enjoy!
This flashlight was provided by Convoy for the review. Check it here, in the official Convoy flashlight Store
Table of Contents:
- General parameters
- Package content
- Appearance, parameters
- UI, runtime and charging
- PWM
- Waterproofness
- Light pattern, tint
- Beamshots
- Usage and my experiences
- Gallery and Summary
| Type | Description |
|---|---|
| Material | Aluminium |
| Reflector | Smooth |
| Lens | Glass, light green AR coated |
| Switch | Side e-switch |
| Brightness | 6400lm max, theoretical |
| Throw | 1461m (ANSI standard), max 534KCD |
| CCT | 5700K |
| Modes | 4 (smooth ramping or 4 modes) |
| Current | 25A |
| Battery | 26800, 6800mAh |
| Charging | USB type C, max 3A charging current |
| Mode memory | Yes |
| Reverse polarity protection | Yes |
| Low voltage protection | Yes |
| Size | [Diameter: (Head: 81mm / Tube: 35mm)] / Length: 191mm |
| Weight | Flashlight: 470g / Flashlight + battery: 710g |
Nice cardboard box. It has to be sturdy, to protect this expensive and heavy (710g with battery) flashlight.
I like that Simon added 26980 adapter, but the charging cable is not necessary, probably everyone has like 15 of those already.
Looks big!
Especially the head, which is indeed very big.
And here’s a quick description of all main components:
Now let’s dive deeper
Aluminium bezel. Nothing special, but does it’s job.
It screws all the way, leaving no gap
Glass lens. Thick one. O-ring for waterproofness. Convoy usually don’t add IP standard, but those flashlights are usually waterproof.
Metal reflector, smooth. Very well made. It’s quite deep, to focus light properly.
It fits perfectly, also leaving no gap
And you can make funny pictures with it
Probably not intended feature
Lots of cooling fins
Next, rubber e-switch. My sample has very little tactile feedback, but it’s probably only my sample.
On the other side there is a charging port with rubber cover. The cover fits tightly
Now important part: LED
SBT90.2 on copper MCPCB, with thermal grease underneath.
Battery tube is very thick, with unique texture for secure grip.
It fits 26800 cell perfectly. This is a “new” cell, longer than not very popular 26650 one.
And it’s big, almost as big as a whole 18650 flashlight (Lumintop FW3A)
Comparison between different cell sizes:
Tailcap has a thick spring and lanyard holes
UI
Simple UI with 4 modes. By default, there is a smooth ramping mode, but you can change it to 4 modes.
Runtime
I tested Medium mode, 400lm. As you can see, brightness in not very stable. Sadly.
But hey, 400 lumens lasted 400 minutes, it’s something.
Heat dissipation
Good head dissipation. Here are my test on max brightness, at room temperature:
First 12 min at full brightness:
Charging
USB type C charging port, 3A max charging current
Charging from fully discharged to finish took 3h 49nim, cell was at 4.19V and charger pumped 7422mAh into battery.
No visible PWM
No IP standard, but since Convoy flashlights are usually waterproof, I will test it - the flashlight was submerged for one hour and…
…it survived! What a relief 
Luminus SBT90.2 LED, CCT 5700K, max brightness 6400 lumens. Combined with smooth reflector achieves max throw of 1461 meters (ANSI standard)
Well, looks like a dot and a very uniform circle. Not much to say, really. No tint shift. But that’s it.
ISO200, t2s, f/3.5 sunlight white balance
General picture of what the forest looks like:
Beamshots of L8:
As you can clearly see, the throw is impressive. And not only throw, but throw + amount of spill combined. Yes, the main beam is pencil-like, very narrow, focused and so on, but there is also a fair amount of spill, or side light which makes this flashlight useable in situations other than simply showing off.
Of course, it is not the best choice for hiking, but I hope you got my point.
This is my next thrower, and I noticed I only have Convoy throwers. Which means something. I had other brand’s throwers, but I sold them. But Convoy has something special. I have L21A too, with CULPM1G or something like that. Weird name, it could also be CUTLPGM1D or DUPLMTYK1C. But it probably is the first name. Anyway, I really like it for its size and throw. L8 has better throw, but it also has much more spill. I’m pretty sure when I need a thrower, I’ll take L8 with me.
Convoy L8 is a big flashlight. Not particularly long, but with a big reflector. Of course a big reflector is necessary in a thrower, like this flashlight. What else is necessary? LED of course, SBT90.2 in this case. Power hungry, expensive and bright LED. Thankfully this flashlight is designed to be powered from a big, 26800 or 26980 cell. Truly beast.
If you have a budget, and want something bright (6400lm) with insane throw (1461m) then you should really consider getting this “little” thrower.
Pros:
- New 26800 cell
- Waterproof
- USB type C charging
Cons:
- Heavy
- Relatively expensive (well, SBT90.2 alone is very expensive)
If you have any questions, put them below, thanks for sticking for a while 
