[Short Review] Oak Brown Convoy C8+

mapache · 2018-11-10T14:18:10.000Z

I was surprised to receive an email from GB asking if I would like to review a Convoy C8+.
I’m fairly certain that anyone who has been a member of BLF for any period of time knows Convoy and likely owns at least one of Simon’s awesome lights. It’s for this reason that I was surprised GB would want me to review the C8+, however since this would be my first light with the Biscotti driver I was very interested.
GB asked me to include the following links to the Oak Brown C8+ that is currently on flash sale,
and a link to their big sale.

I was expecting the C8+ Oak Brown to be the same colour as the S2+ Desert Tan and that GB had given it a different name. Well, something happened that never happens, at least that’s what I tell my wife… I was wrong! (I hope she doesn’t see this) It turns out Oak Brown is a darker shade of brown, and it is REALLY nice. This is a big call, but I might like it more than the DT, regardless it is certainly the nicest colour C8 I have ever seen.

Of course getting a photo that accurately depicts the real colour of the oak brown is hard, especially as it is almost a “chameleon” colour that seems to change hues depending on the light source. Then again, judging by how grainy all these pics became after uploading them the problem could be that I mistook a potato for a camera :person_facepalming:

It’s not just the colour of the C8+ that makes it what it is, an external redesign has also occurred. I really like it although at certain angles it can look a bit busy, however it feels really good in the hand.

The knurling is slightly more aggressive and the anodising retains a slightly textured feel adding extra grip. Both hammer and icepick grips feel much better than the original design, I am generally not a fan of cigar grip but it is more stable than the previous version due to the grooved tail-cap.
[Dons classic shooting jacket] Yes, you might say this C8+ fits my hand better than this C8
All the main threads match (I didn’t test retaining rings) between old and new allowing the Convoy C8 remote switch to fit, and presumably the SS bezel.

And for those that like lights and funs, the C8+ fits a 25mm mount nicely despite the slight increase in girth for the heavier knurling. Of major importance to me is the rubber boot switch, I will admit it doesn’t look as good as the metal switch, however I prefer the feel and increased water resistance of the rubber.

This is my fourth Convoy light, the others being a C8, an S2 and an S2+. Unlike the others, this light unfortunately has a slight alignment issue with the star. I don’t think this has caused any permanent damage to the led and in the next couple of weeks I will realign the star.

The actual hot spot looks good to my eyes, but without a light meter it’s not possible to say if, or how much throw distance has been affected with the current alignment.

The glass on this particular light is marginally smaller than on my other C8, everything still fits and seals however attention needs to be paid while assembling to assure good alignment.

As mentioned earlier this is my first Biscotti driver, I can see why so many people like it. Out of the box the light came set to “group 1.” with the memory turned off. After playing with it for a while I decided to set it to “group 12. 100% only” as I find that I rarely use a C8 on anything other than high. The process for changing groups is pretty straight forward, but instead of trying to explain the plentiful mode options I’ll make it easy on everyone and link the instructions.

As some people know my favourite UI is tail for power and side switch for mode selection but Biscotti changes that to some extent, not to the extent that I will be getting rid of my dual switch light but if I can ever figure out how to get avrdude working and finishing rewiring the ribbon cable I will attempt flashing my 3/5 drivers.

The Convoy C8+ is a great light for anyone who needs a throwy general use light, and unless other reports of off centre emitters are reported en masse it should be considered that this is a one-off issue with this particular sample.

I will try to get some outdoor comparison shots between the old C8 and the new C8+ during the week, and I am hoping that within the next month I will be able to get some hunting related pics with the C8+.

mapache · 2018-11-13T06:45:06.000Z

Well that’s a fail for me, I walked out the door this afternoon leaving both the C8+ and my original C8 at home :person_facepalming: Probably for the best since a thunderstorm is heading this way. Last time I tried to get beamshots in a thunderstorm it resulted in me standing in the rain and watching a lightning storm for way too long.