The S4 is my ultimate EDC right now. Love the look and function with the clip - even got a nice fitting holster for it. Of course mine is almost to the max with a Nanjg custom 6 mode, 3.5A (2 more 7135's), XM-L2 U2/SinkPAD, and a 5/8" 18 gauge copper disc soldered in the pill, 24 gauge wire I believe. It's doing just over 1,000 lumens. Still gotta add a AR or UCL lens though...
Also I finally "fixed" my IOS EDC 18650 - that plastic alignment piece was stealing a lot of lumens. Removed it, replaced it with a low profile one, added a isolator ring, raised the pill by unscrewing it a bit and cranked down on tightening the bezel, and it went from 560 to 795 lumens. That's with a U3/SinkPAD at 2.8A Nanjg custom 6 mode, UCL lens. I like this reflector - good amount of flood, a lot more spill than the S4.
Also got a Xiaozhi but seems to work reliably, and with tailstanding - think I used a lower profile button, not sure what else - this was a while back. It's in pieces right now - the XM-L2 T6 3C de-domed itself because of the tight fitting isolation ring (maybe the heat at 2.8A has something to do with it also?). When it was working, it was real nice, so I want to go with another neutral or warm XM-L2 LED.
That should be fine using it on a bike with airflow. Like I said, mine doesn't get unbearably hot and I'm not biking either. From the feedback of others, I too would take the S3 over the S2, but I can't attach a clip to an S3 (at least not a deep pocket clip).
Well, my Tank007 E09 and E10 I got no plans for, though I did see JackCY, I believe, post modding one and thought about it... Jack is totally over the top though - I don't believe I can do the things he does, even with unlimited time. There's so many things he does, and super fine detail work, like what he did for the Xiaozhi switch problem.
My Xiaozhi switch was undersized and paired with a metal washer. I would assume we both have the same (lame) setup, but no flickering here.
I have an S3 also, and it is definitely more floody than the S2 but I found having that little bit of extra throw really makes a difference, at least for me on my ride tonight. The thing that I don’t like about the S3 is that the head and body are one piece making it a little bit harder to access the pill. Also, the pill in my S3 doesn’t have anything to grip besides solder blobs. I’m always afraid my tweezers will slip and knock off a chip or something…
My Xiaozhi is in pieces too. I accidentally partially dedomed it somehow and then officially killed the led when I tried to finish it off. Just waiting for an xp-g2 to arrive so I can properly dedome that and see what kind of throw I get driven at 2.8A.
Tom, did you get a proper isolation ring? I just got a thin sticky plastic thing with mine.
I got a bunch of assorted alignment pieces and isolation rings - didn't check what the best one is to use yet. The S4 has the really small opening (maybe just an isolation ring will do), while the EDC 18650 has a bigger hole, requiring an alignment piece. Interesting the same partial de-doming happened to your Xiaozhi as well - actually what happened with mine was I noticed the tint seemed to go more neutral/warm. Finaling I took it apart one day and noticed the dome was loose, partially off, so I just carefully removed it completely. Maybe I should transfer it to a SinkPAD or Noctigon and try it de-domed? It should work, but will be pretty warm - 3C de-domed.
Yeah, the hole at the bottom of the Xiaozhi reflector is pretty small, just big enough for the dome to peek through. I didn’t know if I damaged it by a drop or what. I originally mentioned it here. Of course, that was before I took it apart and found the dome loose. Hopefully I can find an appropriate centering ring for the incoming xp-g2.
For XPG2 in the Convoy reflectors I cut out the center of an XPG insulator, and use it as a bushing in a XML insulator. Even though the reflector hole is small it only seats correctly with the XML-sized ring.
Oh comfy, that's cheating! Good idea... . But I'd probably cheat even more by epoxying down the XML insulator with the Arctic A/B stuff, and not use the squared off XPG insulator cutout, but your solution seems more robust and precise.
I used these tailcaps from FT, but trimmed the knub down inside to be shorter (and ended up with it a little too short which gives it a bit of a squishy feel).
Had the same probs with my Xiaozhi. The switch is just so Mickey Mouse. Did you check the pill or driver to make sure it isn’t loose? That also comes loose in mine causing flickering.
Love the S2 AND S3 both. Rock solid and without any issues …. In fact, I left a 2800 S3 on high tailstanding and walked away from it for like 30 minutes and came back to find it heated to atomic levels. I mean this thing was HOT. I had to get a towel to shut it off. Surprised the battery didn’t blow. Chucked the battery, afraid the heat might have damaged it. But the S3 is still going strong a month later. Don’t try this at home!
Yeah, my pill was loose too and tightening it up got rid of some of the whining noise. I also found out that all connections needed thoroughly cleaned to improve continuity.
Was just going to suggest the pill tightening. I had a nagging flickering that ended with the light being tossed around a bit
Once I cooled off, I found that the pill was loose. I tightened it down and have not had a problem since. The only thing I could not fix was the tailstand.
I have used those or similar size (I also cut the knob in the middle). But as you can see. Those are 7,5mm tall… (same as the stock I got with my light)
The ones I linked to are 6,3mm tall, and the green ones are 6mm. Should fix the tailstand issue, while having everything screwed nicely into place with good contact…
garrybunk, what deep pocket clip are you talking about?
I have a Jetbeam Cycler very similar in size to the Convoy S2 and am looking for a deep pocket clip for it.
Btw, I bought it before I knew about the Convoys otherwise I could’ve saved some money and just gotten the S2 as I love that similar look/size and grey HAIII color.
Also, how are you guys focusing XPG emitters with XML reflectors?
I thought XPG/E emitters were a bad fit as they were put further back from the XML reflector to get good focus but you would end up losing some light from the back of the reflector.
Well stop there and leave well enough alone! That's when my trouble started! Actually I ripped the tailcap boot and in replacing that decided to try making the adjustments for tailstanding.
XPG2 in the S2/S4/S5 reflectors focuses best with a standard thickness XML insulator, as shown in my pic above. I did try it with a very thin (.004" plastic) insulator, and it wasn't as tight as with the XML piece. Can't say about the S3's short stumpy one, I haven't used one of those.
Say it ain’t so! My s6 had a flickering problem… needed a pair of teeezers to tighten the battery terminal side of the tail switch. That fixed it right up. It had worked itself loose… Or I didn’t tighten it well enough after reassembling it.
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