Has an older emitter I would double check with either comfychair or Tom E .
The FastTech C8's unfortunately are not available with XM-L2's, but still, the Convoy's may be the best option for the cost, and the fact you can run them in a Hi-Med-Lo- mod arrangement (no blinkies), which sounds like what you want. You could check out Simon's site on AliExpress here: http://www.aliexpress.com/item/Convoy-c8-strong-light-flashlight-cree-xml-u2-t6-torchy/826040641.html, and you can pm him on the site to request a quote for an XM-L2 version. FastTech has a nice C8 holster for cheap also - didn't see Simon listing one.
The one he linked:
http://www.fasttech.com/products/1601/10002364/1272100
Is a good light. The 2800mah will give more light output than the 2100mah version (It will also heat up a bit faster).
A few weeks ago I went with this one:
http://www.fasttech.com/products/1601/10002364/1212407
The difference being the Orange peel reflector. It makes a fantastic beam profile that is a great in-between of flood and throw.
Both of these are older emitters though. XML T6.
25,8$ after coupon code..
Easily the best looking and best built C8 style light for the price if you ask me. The one I got from WB even came with a copper mcpcb.
Order from Simon@Aliexpress if you want tint options. As is stock, its a great light.
Extra copper braid on the springs is recommended if you want to stay at max output longer (standard recommendation for all single cell lights using XM-L2). Its almost an insult to the light to compare it with a regular C8. Its just a step up IMO.. :)
Best budget C8 = Convoy C8.
Best C8 = Xintd C8..
Best C8 style light = Convoy L4
XM-L2-t6 and t5,nice!
I don’t have any way of accurately testing it because my multimeter is junk. But with this junky one a 3amp driver in one of my lights is reading right at 2amps and the lightmalls C12 I have is showing 2.6amps. The C-8 has been said to be a little brighter than the C12 by the people who have both but I can’t verify that. Although it’s only showing .6amps more it could be even more considering that the as it gets more amps it’s off by more and more. So I would so it’s possible that it is running 4amps. But definitely brighter than a regular 2.8amp C8.
BG has Convoy C8 on sale now. $15.05 with XML2 T6-4C.
coupon: gbfmc
They have other emmiter options as well that will cost a bit cheaper.
4C, that’s incandescently warm a tint, isn’t it?
It’s in the 4.5k area, I’m not a tint expert but I think it’s more like neutral-warm, not incan-warm. Anyway, you can choose 1A option if 4C is too warm for your taste.
I recall the LM C8 XML U2 I had bought last year was direct drive, so, all depends on the cell's resistance. Put a Samsung 20R and you could get 5+A, a weaker UltraFire 1.5A (
). Taking guess's but you get the point. don't believe the listings for amps. FastTech does the same thing - idiots, actually took amp measurements for a HD2010 running the East-092 driver and listed those amps as a spec for the light, while the truth of the matter was the amps directly depends on the cell you use. Lights like that LM C8 and the Keygos KE-5 are so highly touted because of the brightness which is really coming from the fact of it's screaming over amperage with all it's side effects (output and heat sag, etc.) because the rest of the light is not designed for those high amps. With this said, the LM XM-L2 C8's should be better because the XM-L2's will drive down the amps as compared to XML's, so should be safer.
Tom E glad you are here to answer such questions.
Thanks Tom, Good info there.
Yeah Tom, good point. Think of it like shoving a Z-1 Vette engine into an old VW beetle. You might be able to, the results...performance wise...might be outrageously fun. But the car isn't made for that powerful engine and something's gonna give...maybe catastrophically! Just because you can, isn't always (or often) a sign that you should.
The smaller lights don't have the mass for heat sinking, will heat up, allow the LED to be hotter, shorten the life of the LED, have atrocious sag from the heat dropping the numbers you worked very hard to get and perhaps ending up in a few seconds, a minute, less output than it came with. So there's always a lot to it, a lot of aspects which we don't want to look at while we're going for top performance. It's fun to have a light with wow factor. Impress the friends, all that. But when the electricity is out, when you're working on the car, looking for the lost puppy, it's long term performance that really matters.
I've got lights for those things mentioned above. And I've got the 1/8th mile dragsters. :) Get caught out in the dark with the dragster in hand and it's likely you'll be still in the dark, with drained cells and an overheated light that doesn't work.
Edit: I should also add that y'alls quest for the best made me buy a XinTD V4 C8 a few minutes ago. :P Once it gets here, maybe I'll make the Convoy C8 the dragster...
I'm so sic - I got a XinTD rev 2 (modded out but domed) and a stock v4, plus a modded out Convoy C8 for throw (XP-G2 de-domed). Though I realy like the XinTD C8's as the best C8 out there, I think this C8 reflector design (fasttech SMO) does a little better than the XinTD's reflector. I'm basing this on my modded LM C8 head to head with my modded XinTD v2 and other C8's I built out same way, before the copper pill went into the LM C8, though the copper pill didn't seem to make any difference in output. Always thought the XinTD under-performed a little bit.
I always say I can gift or sell them, but finding it very hard to part with anything these days -- got some of my grandma in me - a "collector", not a thrower-outer. Maybe I am realy sic 
.
The Convoy L4 RacerR86 pointed out is looking real nice, accept not a modders dream with the electronic switch, and the copper star is not a direct thermal path type, so should be replaced for high amp use. Don't know details though for moddability... Maybe resistor mods or Dr Jones electronic switch driver, dunno. A quick BLF search and didn't find anything on modding a L4, but stock at 2.6A (??) it gets 840 lumens on a T6 4C which ain't bad, but I look to get in the 1,200-1,300's with XM-L2 U2 1A's.
What would you say, Tom, is the biggest difference/differences between the Convoy C8 and the Xin TD (Rev 4)?
The pill - XintD has a nice size brass (plus threaded reflector!) one while the Convoy has the small under-sized alumimun - no comparison in mass - many debate bout brass vs aluminum of course, but the extra mass in this comparison wins out. I've been disappointed with the Convoy pill from the get-go, but Ryan kind of took care of that problem. Still disappointed a 20mm star won't fit when the 20mm is the de-facto standard for a C8 light.
The body and finish - debatable but think the XinTD wins here too
Overall component quality - XinTD for the tailcap/switch, SMO reflector, AR lens
So, with almost every nod going to the XinTD it's well worth the price difference. Glad I ordered it. Maybe I'll see it before Christmas. ;)
Since you were interested, I though Id get the ball rolling.. Some strange Vf results on various emitters in that thread too... I write and test too much... 0:)
The Wallbuys XINTD is a superb C8, 3 or 5 modes available, nice regulation, 3.04 amps, and doesn’t get too hot but DOES throw something real nice…
The KE-5 is a classic and still one of the brightest pocketable torches around. It’s got my approval. The Lightmalls C8 is another I recommend. The Convoy I don’t own but has the best track record on BLF.
is actaully a nice c8
has a east-092 driver
xm-l2 u3 it claims
mine pulled over 4 amps stock on high
came from tmart