Working my way up - Mid-range thrower

Lightbringer · 2019-11-04T01:45:26.000Z

Skip all the advice above and do this.

Buy one.

Buy another.

Rinse, repeat.

You’ll eventually find one you’ll really like… ’til a “better” one comes along.

ValuseekeR · 2019-11-04T02:19:11.000Z

spudley112:

The Convoy C8+ is a great little light. For a light you could put in a jacket pocket…or tucked into your back pocket, it has a lot of power…

Haha, yeah, I know. I’m a little stoopid. Have 3 S2+ and no C8s. :partying_face:

Lightbringer · 2019-11-04T02:35:59.000Z

Only 3? Piker…

I could practically open up Convoy America here with all the S2+es I got.

Okay, I didn’t quite mention my C8 Army™, but…

tatasal · 2019-11-04T03:12:26.000Z

How about this small beast: the Nightwatch NI0L with Osram white flat:

Shoot-out: Mateminco MT35mini (FT03), Mateminco TO2 (FT02) and the small Nightwatch NI01L IRAlite Osram White Flat —- comparative shoot-out shots between throwers

ValuseekeR · 2019-11-04T03:00:59.000Z

Lightbringer:

Only 3? Piker…

Guilty as charged. :person_facepalming:

Pavlo · 2019-11-04T03:24:44.000Z

Lightbringer:

The GTmini is quite nice (got a couple myself) but also look into the P30.

Different UIs, depends what you’ll be using them for.

I’ve always been tempted by the Nitecore P30.
What makes you like it so much?

Lightbringer · 2019-11-04T04:10:32.000Z

Pavlo:

I’ve always been tempted by the Nitecore P30.

What makes you like it so much?

Crisp clean beam with a nice tight hotspot, so it throws like Hell, and it’s a forward-clicky with a fully exposed button (no silly U-shaped cutouts), with a sideswitch to change modes, so is great for flash’n’dash.

And I think (just goggled it, and yep) it can also take a pair of ’123s as well as a single 18650.

Pavlo · 2019-11-04T04:13:10.000Z

Lightbringer:

Pavlo:

I’ve always been tempted by the Nitecore P30.

What makes you like it so much?

Crisp clean beam with a nice tight hotspot, so it throws like Hell, and it’s a forward-clicky with a fully exposed button (no silly U-shaped cutouts), with a sideswitch to change modes, so is great for flash’n’dash.

And I think (just goggled it, and yep) it can also take a pair of ’123s as well as a single 18650.

Seems to throw very well given its “lower” output compared to XHP35 lights.
Looks like a nice host for Osram White Flat too.

Thanks for your feedback!

Lightbringer · 2019-11-04T04:16:10.000Z

At first I was wondering, “Okay, what’m I gonna do with Yet Another Compact Thrower?”, given my C8 Army™, but I got one, then got another. They’re really nice.

And while I’m using my GTmini in rotation (as far as throwers), the P30 is definitely the one I keep going back for.

Sillen · 2019-11-04T06:42:27.000Z

I shocked my sons team mates with the throw of the GT Micro!

spudley112 · 2019-11-04T10:01:05.000Z

Sillen:

I shocked my sons team mates with the throw of the GT Micro!

I have to admit, that is something I love to do. I love that look when you pull out a light and fire it up and they were not expecting it to be so powerful! I was visiting my parents, who had retired out to the middle of nowhere, and thought it would be a great opportunity to test some lights. I ended up in the back field with them watching as I tried different lights. They were shocked at the area some of them could light up.

spudley112 · 2019-11-04T14:01:37.000Z

Lightbringer:

Only 3? Piker…

I could practically open up Convoy America here with all the S2+es I got.

Okay, I didn’t quite mention my C8 Army™, but…

I would love to see some of the lights we talk about in more stores. I mean, these retailers import millions of those zoom lights that are flooding the market, and some of the prices are far and away more than most of the budget lights we are all buying up.

I shocks me to go into a major sporting goods store and see some of the garbage lights that are being sold for over $60. Or going there to see massive plug in spotlights that have worse throw than my C8+. SMH

Lightbringer · 2019-11-04T16:34:21.000Z

Last year or so, I went to a Home Despot to get a pipe-cap to make a “quick” (har…) charger for my Q8, and wanted to make sure anything I’d buy would fit, so I brought the donk with me.

Oldster who knew his shtuff guided me to the different sizes, etc., but asked what I wanted it for (kinda odd asking for a pipe-cap but no pipe or nuttin’), and I showed him. “That’s a flashlight??” “Yeh.”

Quick 2click to turbo, and he was all like, “Holy Shiite, that’s bright!”. I just smirked.

I love doing that.

Speaking of which, anyone know how to thread the inside of a cap to fit onto a Q8’s battery-tube? Hand-tools only, no lathe or other fancies…

spudley112 · 2019-11-04T17:34:53.000Z

Woohoo! My FT03 just arrived in the mail. I am getting batteries charged up for it and the C8+ so I can compare them tonight.

Yokiamy · 2019-11-04T17:53:04.000Z

spudley112:

Woohoo! My FT03 just arrived in the mail. I am getting batteries charged up for it and the C8+ so I can compare them tonight.

The difference is obvious

d_t_a · 2019-11-05T02:56:47.000Z

BlueSwordM:

The FT02 is a different class of light. Worse UI, but better driver, and much better brightness regulation overall.
So, it’ll have higher average brightness, but worse runtime.

The FT03 has the advantage of having a very large reflector, and a rather small powerful LED (the SST-40), so it throws quite well.

Before directly jumping to it though, I think the GT Mini would be a good start.

If this isn’t enough for you, then the FT03 would be a good bet.

I have a question regarding FT02 vs FT03, I understand the FT02 uses a proprietary (unknown) firmware that has ramping and groups mode (much like but not exactly the same as Sofirn’s proprietary ramping + groups mode drivers on their SP32A/C8Fv2/C8G/SP70).

You mentioned the FT02 has a better driver (more efficient since it uses XHP35-Hi and uses a boost driver?).

I’m wondering about the “worse runtime” — is that mainly due to it having a regulated constant current consumption?
From my limited understanding, FET/direct-driven drivers usually would also be supposedly less efficient — so they would also have worse runtime…
So my question is: would the FT02 or the FT03 have worse runtime? Or maybe better is, under what scenarios will one have better or worse runtime than the other?

spudley112 · 2019-11-05T12:55:22.000Z

Astrolux FT03 vs Convoy C8+ - Initial impressions

I did not get to go to a more open area where I could fully test the throw of these two lights, but I was able to play around in the neighborhood a little bit last night. I gotta say up front, I LOVE the throw that these lights have. I am a middle aged fellow, and I distinctly remember old D cell and lantern battery lights that could not come near the performance of these lights. So I may seem easily impressed, but I know what I buy lights for, and these definitely fit a distinct niche.

With that said, let me come right out and declare, so far I am really loving the C8+. It has decent throw and furthermore, it is super portable. A light I can easily throw in a pocket, in my EDC belt pack or mount to my M14 and it will do pretty much everything I need a mid range light to do. As I said, I have not yet had an opportunity to get out into a really wide open space to compare, so my experience so far is limited.

Differences I have noticed - The FT03 has a more defined hot spot than the C8+ which may become a factor in performance when the distances spread over hundreds of meters. I also noted that the FT03 has a warmer light. I am interested in seeing how that affects my impression of the light after longer use.

As I said, I did not get to really push any limits last night for either light, so in the days to come, my impressions may change. I am really impressed with the C8+, but I have absolutely NO regret getting the FT03.

Some of the tests I want to perform with the lights in the coming days is to get to a wide open area to really see which light fits the bill for me best. I also want to go out for a stroll in the evening with each light as my primary illumination to see which one can serve in a broader capacity. Throw is great, but the ability to light the trail immediately ahead is important too. This will also give me a chance to test the different intensities to see if it can function beyond just a thrower.

I am new to all this, but I know what serves me best when it comes to a light, so hopefully one of these will fill a wider role for me.

Yokiamy · 2019-11-05T13:03:45.000Z

If the hot spot of the FT03 is more well defined than your C8, you might disassemble the C8, and sand down the bottom part of the plastic centering gasket.
You will be amazed how much difference a few tenth of a mm makes.

(please be gentle with it, they break easily, but you can buy spares)

EDIT, did i just talk you into the modding scene ?

spudley112 · 2019-11-05T13:06:51.000Z

Yokiamy:

If the hot spot of the FT03 is more well defined than your C8, you might disassemble the C8, and sand down the bottom part of the plastic centering gasket.
You will be amazed how much difference a few tenth of a mm makes.

(please be gentle with it, they break easily, but you can buy spares)

EDIT, did i just talk you into the modding scene ? :sunglasses:

I have never tried modding. I will run a search and see if I can find instructions on doing that.

I can tell you for sure though…I would have given almost anything to have lights like these when I was a police officer. We did not have a lot to work with back in those days.

California_Prepper · 2019-11-05T23:23:21.000Z

spudley112:

Yokiamy:

If the hot spot of the FT03 is more well defined than your C8, you might disassemble the C8, and sand down the bottom part of the plastic centering gasket.
You will be amazed how much difference a few tenth of a mm makes.

(please be gentle with it, they break easily, but you can buy spares)

EDIT, did i just talk you into the modding scene ? :sunglasses:

I have never tried modding. I will run a search and see if I can find instructions on doing that.

I can tell you for sure though…I would have given almost anything to have lights like these when I was a police officer. We did not have a lot to work with back in those days.

I worked in the private security industry. I remember just 15 years ago a new light would come out and I would be impressed when a light coult reach a tree in a back yard across the street. And some of them were nearly $200.00 now we have c8’s that can do that for $20 and they’re a fraction of the size.