So… I will start this off with a caveat: I own no proper measuring equipment, so this will not include any lumens, runtimes, or similar. If you are looking for those, you will have to move on to another review. This is mainly about looks, feels, and some beamshots. Since I think this is one of the first reports about the new M21B colors, I thought it might make sense to post this way.
Introduction
When Simon unlocked the recolors, I ordered 2 M21B:
- M21B Tan, Cree XHP70.3 HI 4000K 70 CRI, 6V 5A boost driver, orange peel reflector
- M21B Green, SFT40, 3V 8A buck driver, smoth reflector
Other specs:
- Battery: 21700
- Length: 140 mm
- Dia (tube): 27 mm
- DIa (tailcap): 29 mm
- Dia (head): 36 mm
Sadly, by the time of be typing this test, my INR21700-50S cells from NKON have not yet arrived, so I was confined to constantly swapping a INR2170-50E around between the lights. The XHP70.3 version is actually driving it very close to its limits, or even beyond them, so I was careful not to full-power it for too long, since I did not want to damage my cell. I am also planning to swap the XHP70.3 light to an 8A driver eventually, will post an update once I did.
Look, feel and UI
I will start off with some pics, S2+ Shorties (gray and purple) as a comparison.
The anodisation is, as usually on Convoys, really good. No marks, spots or issues, and especially the tan has a very “matte” finish (glossy ano always looks cheap to me). Green is a tad more glossy than my other Convoys, but still a great color. All parts of each light are exactly the same color, no variations. Convoys manufacturer seems to have very tight variations on color baths, as even when you buy separate tubes (like 18350 for S2+) the colors seem to be perfectly matched. Have been on my lights, anyway.
The light feels good to my hands. Balanced, but slightly front-heavy due to the rather hefty head up to 4 mm deep cooling fins. They come without a clip and tend to roll away on a flat surface - I recommend either buying the clip (which does not bother me when holding the light), or adding a lanyard of Type III Paracord, to keep it from rolling. The tailswitch is Simons usual reverse clicky with a rubber cap - no news there. Nice actuation feel and solid clicky feedback, but not everyone’s taste. Gotta like reverse clickies - and the UIs they come with.
The drivers are the usual Convoy UI. You can choose between 12 different groups in various configurations, and enable or disable mode memory. I personally set my XHP70.3, which is an alrounder for me, to Mode 2 (0.1%, 1%, 10%, 35%, 100%) without mode memory, to have it always start in moonlight (that thing is BRIGHT). The SFT40 on the other hand is a thrower for outdoor use - Again, I disabled mode memory, and set it to Mode 3 which is essentially a reversed Mode 2: 100%, 35%, 10%, 1%, 0.1%.
I get along very well with those UIs, and got used to them, but they may definitely “weird” to people used to e-switches. Also, no ramping (since that does not work with clickies).
Beam profile
M21B, XHP70.3 HI, OP / M21B, SFT40, SMO / S2+, 519A, OP
The beam of the XHP70.3 HI model is great. Smooth, gaussian beam with a very nice transition from spot to spill. It is quite similar to a S2+ with dedomed 519A and orange peel reflector, although a bit more throwy, and both spot and spill end a bit more smoothly.
The beam of the SFT40 model is, well, throwy. A very sharp, clearly defined spot, and an equally sharply confined spill. You can see the difference between orange peel and smooth reflectors in this case. While the different LES size defines the flood/throw, the different reflector surfaces decide the how sharp the transitions between spot, spill and “darkness” are. Sadly it has some minor artifacts around the spot - hard to see on the pic. These are, however, totally invisible outdoors to me. Since outdoors is what I use a thrower for, I do not care much.
Beamshots
Sorry in advance, my beamshots… Kinda suck. I tried getting decent beamshots with fixed exposure on my camera. Not entirely happy. Maybe I will redo them some day. I included a S2+ with dedomed 519A 5700K and orange peel reflector, a Sofirn IF19 with SST40 6000K (I think) and TIR, as well as a Sofirn SP33S with XHP70.3 HI 5700K 90CRI and orange peel reflector as comparison. All are ordered from highest (Turbo) to lowest mode, and all pictures where all you can see is black are omitted.
M21B, XHP70.3 HI, OP
SP33S, XHP70.3 HI, OP
The two lights are fairly similar. The longer reflector on the M21B gives it a bit more throw and less flood, making it just the perfect allrounder if you want to light up an outdoor area for me. At the same time, the Sofirn suffered form me swapping it from a 70.2 HD to a 70.3 HI, and has artifacts that are annoying indoors. Outdoors, both lights are great. The M21B also runs a lot less hot at what should be 5A current from both drivers. Whether this is due to better head design, more efficient driver, or actually not both being 5A flat I do not know. Brightness appears a bit higher on the M21B. Both do not throttle visibly for me within about a minute. Since my 21700-50E cell is actually overdriven in this light I was afraid to fully load it for longer.
M21B, SFT40, SMO
IF19, SST40, TIR
The large reflector and dome-less LED has significantly more throw than the TIR on the IF19, a brighter and smaller spot. Also, way more thermal mass so it can keep the full power almost indefinitely (I could not get it to step down at all), unlike the small 18350 Sofirn. Makes sense. Both have their pros and cons, I prefer the beam of the B21B.
S2+, 519A, OP (max 50%, so 2.5A)
Bottom line
Overall, I am very satisfied. The lights are by no means perfect, but Simon really nailed his niche of sleek, minimalist, inexpensive rev clickies with good build quality, kinda efficient drivers and good optics and selection of LEDs. They are no premium light and do not try to be, but they are damn close. They look great, they feel great, and if you manage to break something, spares are cheap and readily available. And if you grow tired of a LED, an optic, or anything else - there is tons of options in the store. Just order a new MCPCB, different driver, different lens… The flexibility and moddability are something I really enjoy about convoy.
I am however a bit of a Convoy fanboy, as you may have noticed, so take my conclusion/opinion with a grain of salt 
