Finally a no nonsense flashlight review to help demystify the thousands of flashlights on Flea Market eBay. Thank you! You should contact eBay and educate them on how to create filters for LED flashlights. That way people like us can quickly narrow down what we want.
Thanks for the positive comments Ramon, glad I could help out! EBay is actually not my preferred source for getting electronics these days, I've stopped using them, as I've gotten XML instead of XML2, and when I complain, they say nobody else complains! I said, that doesn't mean they got XML2 LEDs! A lot of other electronics seem defective and/or counterfeit. A number of B40/A118Cs were fake, many other users that I linked to EBay got fakes, and now we are stuck with those. I'be removed the links. I've started using Aliexpress, GearBest, and FastTech, check them out if you're looking for stuff, I recommend them. I've also found a great XML2 flashlight that isn't $100, but performs like one of that price, it's the Convoy S2+ and it's $12.89! Check out my review video on it if you're interested. It'll be your go to flashlight, should last a lifetime. It is better than the WF-501B, double the cost, but worth it in my books. I like your idea of a search engine with filters though! It'll help people out, but until then, I guess we gotta do it the hard way. Good idea though. Like you could filter by beam angle, power, lumens, size, battery types, optic type, it would be awesome. Anyways, thanks for the comment! Cheers, David.
This is an extremely helpful and informative review. Thank you!! I learned more about flashlights than I thought I needed to know, but now I feel equipped to make an informed choice. I appreciate the time you put into this very thoughtful presentation. Well done!!
Thank you for watching, and the kind comments! The pleasure was mine. Also, you may want to check out the Convoy S2+, it is way better than the WF-501B, and is new, costs twice as much, but I think it's worth it. It is the new WF-501B on the block! Also check out the Panasonic 3400mAh battery, it is the go to battery for all flashlights now. The SoShine E4S is also a great charger. Cheers, David.
Thanks man! You're welcome! Actually, in this video, the XM-L2 was the newest LED, but they have since come out with the XPL and XPL2. The XPL2 is so new, that only a handful of flashlights use it, so you'll have to buy the LED and install it to the flashlight yourself! Some flashlights that you should check out include the Convoy S2+, Convoy C8, Convoy L6, zanflare F1, Utorch UT02, DQG Tiny 26650. Here's a video on the zanflare if you wanta know more about it: ruclips.net/video/RNxiwvHCEdY/видео.html Here's a video about my collection, and quickly showing the UT02 and C8, I'll be reviewing those later. Check the description of the collection video if you wanta see review videos for the other lights. Cheers! David.
This is one amazing review. Thank you so much for clearing up a lot of my questions. While I realize the drawbacks of the camera, I appreciate your take on the perspective visual as well. Keep up the fine work. Hello, PayPal.
+David Sunshine Can you elaborate on the heat aspect of the S2+? I see that the higher the chips, the brighter and hotter it gets. Am I safe with 8, or should I look for a 4 or even a 3? Also what is the difference between Convoy and Ultrafire?
+Mojave Max Ultrafire is a Chinese manufacturer or brand, and make very inexpensive but poor quality lights, they work, but only as good as a $6 can work, poor quality driver, machining, and parts. Convoy is a Chinese company too, but their lights are made of programmable drivers with quality current limiters that will last a lot longer and be reliable in use, the machining is high quality and the parts are quality, so the reflector is more reflective, giving you more light, and the tailswitch is higher quality so it won't intermittently fail on you upon usage. The o-ring seals are also better quality and you get a true water resistant light. The Ultrafires will be missing seals at the front lenses, since have to reduce costs by neglecting some aspects of the design. You pay three times the price for the Convoy, but you'll get that much more in terms of quality. I forgot to mention that they apply thermal grease, and Ultrafire does not, and does not even build the light for great thermal management, which leads us to the next question. You're completely right, the higher wattage a light, the higher the steady state temperature will be. The better the thermal management(reduced thermal resistance or increased thermal conductivity coefficient), the quicker the light will reach that steady state temperature, and the lower that the junction temperature will be at the LED, extending LED lifespan and lumen maintenance. As an example, the Convoy has a good thermal system, in that the light gets hot quickly, and keeps the temperature of the LED down, the light runs at 70C on high. The WF-501b runs at the same wattage, but will take longer to get to 70C, but ultimately will, but the LED temperature will be much higher, over time the LED light output will drop, or may burn out completely. You will be safe with 8*7135, but only for a few minutes, then you can drop to 50%. You can get the 6*7135 or 4*7135, but you won't be able to have the high output mode if you need it. I personally like having the option of having full light output, if I'm using it for trail walking, I'll drop to 50% so it doesn't get hot. Hope that helps! Cheers, David.
Ya it's good, I use it generously. I used a bunch between the LED and block, and block and threads to get the heat out of my 20W S2+. Here's the build video: ruclips.net/video/Uzjv_zwr8Ng/видео.html It was a beast of a flashlight, I've put a biscotti (Convoy) driver in there now though, so it's back to 2.8A/10W.
Thank you! Appreciate it. If you want to see some new and high quality lights, check out the recommendations in the description, or my most recent video about the lights I've been testing. Cheers! David.
Thanks man! I appreciate the feedback, glad you appreciate the technical info. If you're looking for a really high quality flashlight, not one from Ebay, and are willing to pay around $12, check out the Convoy S2+, I have a review video for it, if you're interested: ruclips.net/video/q2kW52HLk-U/видео.html I quite like this light. I've also got the zanflare F1 recently too, and it's pretty good, great for people who want to use a micro USB charge cable instead of a separate charger. Cheers! David.
I was thinking about getting a spotty to scare the big fruit bats from stealing my mangoes, but I don't think a small one will cut it. You test things so extensively you might have to get a calibrated range, ie carpark, and a light meter, and take it to the next level. Good vids.
SidneyCritic ComedyHound Thanks for the idea, I ordered a light meter a couple months ago, waiting for it in the mail. Good idea on the range too, I'll have to do that. For throwers, you'll want to look at the L6, but it probably won't scare the bats much, you'll want a pest deterrent in the ultrasonic range for that I think. They probably make some. Then your mangoes will only be for you to enjoy!
Yeah, might as well go full scientific on it's ass and find somewhere with a flat wall far away, and some sticks on stands. We have weird bats that don't do sonic that much, they are all big eyes and eyesight, hence the spotty. Looking forward to back-to-back calibrated testing.
Lol, funny you say that, I just picked up my TA8133 light meter today! Works great. It verified that the iphone 3GS readings are representative of the light levels generated by the flashlights. I re-did the graphs, and they look the same. Skyray King is still on time, and L6 is slightly behind it. I'll do more testing.
You're welcome! It was my pleasure to present what I've learn, hopefully others enjoy it too. Thanks for the feedback. FYI, look into the Convoy lights, I didn't have any when I made this video, but it's a good light based on the principles presented in this video. Cheers, David.
Thanks Anthony! Great recommendation! Ya I've actually been shopping on AliExpress and have found some great lights there. I've got this 18 LED soda can light, similar to the SkyRay king and it's great, plenty of light and has a USB port to keep my phone charger in a power outage! Great bang for the buck, I think it was $35. 4 x Samsung 30Qs and it's got plenty of power! I'll have to do a review on it. Cheers! David.
Hi Charles, I have no knowledge of the XML-R8 LED actually, it's sort of a mystery, so good question. It might be used to confuse people some more. I took a look and I can only find XML and XML2, as linked below. XM-L: www.cree.com/LED-Components-and-Modules/Products/XLamp/Discrete-Directional/XLamp-XML XM-L2: www.cree.com/LED-Components-and-Modules/Products/XLamp/Discrete-Directional/XLamp-XML2 If you could please find the cutsheet on the Cree website and provide the link, I could take a look and see how it's specifications differ from the XM-L and XM-L2 offerings. I would say with certainty that the XM-L2 listings have proven to actually have the XM-L2 Cree LEDs in them, and that they perform well and can handle 10W+. Some people have purchased XM-L versions, and received a counterfeit LED that posed as an XM-L, but only handled 5W, and when they put more current to it expecting greater light output, they burnt them all out and was very disappointed. The XML-R8 might actually be the code name for the counterfeit 5W LEDs, but I can't say that for certain. Based on all the counterfeit stuff out there, one should be very careful with the unknown. For certain though, I trust everything that Convoy, Fasttech, and Gearbest sell. Can't say the same for all the other no name brands/sellers out there though. That's my take on it. Thanks again for the question. Cheers, David.
Hi. Looking more into it, I'm starting to think it's a part of the false advertising that those cheap manufacturers are using to confuse people, like saying an XML flashlight has 2000 lumens. Basically impossible without insane cooling and the highest bin LED. I found a listing saying 12xXML-R8 LEDs can output 15,000 lumens, that's an outright lie, false advertising, unless those LEDs are mounted to copper, and cooled very well, they won't be able to push that much. They'll be lucky to push 12,000, I would say it's probably more like 3000-4000 lumens. The Convoy L6 would probably be brighter than that. I have actually stopped buying stuff from Ebay, since I've had so many problems with defective and fake items from them. They sent me an XML when I paid for an XML2, and when I complained they gave me an excuse like "nobody else complained about this", so what? I'm supposed to accept the wrong LED because other people did? I think Ebay is riddled with all the defective stuff that they can't sell anywhere else. It's like they hope you don't complain, and if you do, they give you a bunch of trouble hoping you'll just give up and let them keep your money, and throw their junk in the garbage. I got sick of that and started buying off of Gearbest and Aliexpress, they seem a lot better, and their products are the actual working ones that weren't labelled as defective. If you're looking for a seriously powerful light, that's high quality and won't break down on you, check out the Convoy L6: Here's my review video on it - ruclips.net/video/h6KlvFASrQ4/видео.html (Don't forget to get the good batteries with it, Littokala 5000mAh) A lot of the SkyRays and multi-LED lights are problematic, and the drivers burn out, they are just not made very well, and even if they're half the price, they're not really worth it, unless you're ready to do some major modifications to it, to make it better. The no-name batteries are also crap too, they claim 6000mAh but are really 900mAh, and come dead, break after a couple cycles, or blow up when you try to use them. You'll see in my description, that I recommend Convoy lights, and more expensive brands rather than the eBay flashlights, it's because it's worth the extra couple bucks to get a quality flashlight. If you need light, and your flashlight breaks, you'll realize it was worth it to pay the extra for the higher quality light. Cheap $6 lights still do the trick, but just don't consider them as reliable. I like the Convoy S2+, check that out if you're interested. Cheers, David.
+Christopher Notellin Thanks!! I don't think they actually are, don't be fooled by my Blair witch camera work, it's not so bad, but it was pretty dark in there, in between flashlights, it was pitch black. I'll be going back for the sequal, we'll be testing a 20W supercharged Convoy S2+!! Stay tuned!!
Hi, thanks! Glad you like it. I've been testing out the new Convoy and Sofirn lights. I saw those cheaper XHP70.2 lights, looks promising. Thanks for the heads up! Maybe I'll get one to run through the tests! Thanks for the great idea! Cheers, David.
@@DavidSunshine I've been seeing xhp90 o n ebay and aliexpress. Nobody seems to have reviews on those. You may get some views if you are the first to review and compare those ;)
Thanks man! I appreciate it! I wanted to talk about all the essential specifications and characteristics if LEDs, because that's how you'll decide on what light you need. Hope it was helpful and enjoyable! Cheers, David.
Hi, if you want the brightest, get the SkyRay King with 7 or 8 or 9 LEDs, XM-L2, with 4 x 3500mAh LG cells from gearbest, and you'll run about one to two hours depending on the driver of the light. That light may get hot after 5 minutes on high though, most lights will, even the WF-501b, so you'll really want to run them on med or low, that's why I would still recommend the SkyRay King, even on low it's gonna punch out a lot of light. If you don't want a big light, the WF-501b will work fine, I would still recommend getting a Panasonic 3400mAh cell(it's cheaper than the LG, and still gives you about 95% of the power, it's good for lower drain devices, whereas the LG is for higher current draws). You can also look at the Convoy S2+ at gearbest, it's a higher quality light, and costs double that of the WF-501b, but the flicker is at 18khz, so you won't see a strobic effect, but you may hear a whine. Can't get rid of that though.
Here is a link to a cheap SkyRay alternative, same quality, just different brand. www.ebay.com/itm/181928189375?redirect=mobile If you don't have a good charger, here's a really good one, the i4 is cheaper but doesn't have any read outs. Nitecore D4 Li-ion NiCd NiMh LCD Smart Intelligent Battery Charger app.gearbest.com/chargers/pp_56674.html The Panasonic 3400mAh protected cells have button tops which are required for the 8x flashlight to work, you can solder on blobs to unprotected cells too, it's on sale for $18 for 4 at gearbest. If you're worried about bears or cougars, the 8x would certainly keep you safe, they would be blinded by the light, better than less light I assume. If seeing brightly to the sides isn't a big deal, a single LED flashlight will work fine, the WF-501b or Convoy S2+. Here is the WF-501B: www.ebay.com/itm/5-Modes-1800-Lumens-WF-501B-CREE-XM-L2-LED-Flashlight-Torch-Use-18650-Battery-/321192382030?hash=item4ac88ece4e:g:tocAAOSwQItT8cZ4 Here is the Convoy S2+ in blue: www.gearbest.com/led-flashlights/pp_232308.html It's on sale for only $13 so that's a pretty good deal. And here is a securitying alternate to the convoy, I don't know if it's of high quality construction though, it's cheaper though: www.ebay.com/itm/700-Lumens-XM-L2-U2-1A-LED-5-Modes-Tactical-LED-Flashlight-Torch-with-Rope-/361294069371?hash=item541ecdfe7b:g:1wkAAOSwpDdVdVy8 What color temperature do you like? The safe color is 4000K, natural white, but some people like more blue(cool white, 5000k+), and I like warm white like incandescent lighting, 2700-3000K. If you get that, you could get the SoShine E4S from gearbest too, two 18650 or more, and use that to charge the batteries, and when you don't need the light, use that as a USB charger with 6800mAh of true capacity. Or with just one cell if your using your light, you'll also have a spare battery if you go camping and need more light time. The 18650s are all interchangeable so you can do that. (E4S and Convoy accept protected and unprotected cells no problem, other devices don't, and some chargers need power to activate them before you can use them). Hope that's enough information for you to make an educated purchase! Cheers, David.
It's located in the LED driver. These can be replaced with better ones. I have a modification video for the Convoy S2+ that shows this process. Cheers! David.
Yes, the Cree XP-L2 is out now, since mid 2016, and a few lights use it, but most use the older XPL though, it has wires inside that burn out so it can only handle about 6A. The XP-L2 doesn't have wires, so it can handle 9A no problem if you keep it cool. It burns out over 9.5A though, even on a copper Sinkpad II in my S2+ which has a big reinforced copper pill. I would keep it at ~8A for this reason, using AMC 7135 380mA current limiters. I have an S2+ with an XP-L2 and it pulls 6-7A, and it runs fine as long as you turn it off after 1min, since it gets pretty hot after that, and will most certainly lead to LED/battery damage/failure. If you're into modding, definitely try the XP-L2, I got mine from Mouser Electronics. If you just want a good light with a good LED, the XPL is still great, and the XPL HI is already dedomed, so it makes a great thrower. If you want a good thrower, I'd check out the C8, here: tidd.ly/d7bf850b The brightest bin is "V2 1A", but the warmest is "U3 7A", I prefer the U3 cuz I like warmer temperatures, but if output is the name of your game, V2 is the one to go with. If you want a compact flashlight, the S2+ is the way to go, with it's XM-L2, that's also a great LED, and similar to the XPL. Those are all compromises from the XP-L2 though, that is a rugged LED due to it's lack of wires which can be subjected to burning out. The XP-L2 has a dome however, which is tinted, and it can cause some discoloration throughout it's distribution, so that might be undesired. There is also the XHP series, the XHP35 is great, and is used in the UT02, I have a review of that one, and it's pretty awesome, but I've put an XP-L2 in there, and it pushes double the lumens of the XHP35 since the boost driver was a limiter. It makes it a better thrower, even though it's a domed LED vs a dedomed LED, if I were to dedome the XP-L2, it would make it a way better thrower. Hope that brings you up to speed! Let me know if you have any questions. Cheers! David.
Pig Gaming Get the Convoy S2+, it's way better than the WF flashlights in quality and function. The convoy store on aliexpress can give you the biscotti firmware driver if you ask for it too, it's the best out right now cuz it has off time memory. If you can't find it, let me know if you want a link.
The S2+ is a true 1000 lumens. It's a linear regulated flashlight, so instead of pulling way too much current at the beginning it actually regulates it to 1000 lumens. The WF-50# have resistor based drivers so they vary quite a bit based on your battery's internal resistance. You can ask for less 7135s to reduce the current, with 8x 7135 it's 2.8A. I have a review on it, I think it's linked on cards if you want.
I'd like the link. How do you make sure you are buying a flashlight with a XM-L2 instead of buying something and hoping that the seller isn't trying to trick you?
Hi, Convoy on Aliexpress is run and owned by Simon, he won't trick you. He is well trusted among flashlight enthusiasts, and I've ordered about 8 flashlights from him. I have the Blue, Red, and Green S2+, they're great lights with XM-L2 LEDs. If you want a thrower though, you'll want the XP-L HI in the C8, it's bigger but it's a beast of a thrower. Below are the links: Convoy C8 Clear: tidd.ly/db7a1a97 S2+ (Blue): tidd.ly/aca75cbb S2+ (Red): tidd.ly/b84ddff9 S2+ (Green): tidd.ly/47727724 Tail Magnet: tidd.ly/c2e39084 Pocket Clip: tidd.ly/26c1dac3 Make sure you ask for the New Biscotti Driver for the S2+ lights. He already includes it with the C8, if you want to see the programming, check the C8 listing. Also if you want the tail magnet and pocket clip, I recommend those, and they're linked as well. There are good batteries to get too, let me know if you need a link to them. Hope that helps. Cheers, David.
hey I finally got my light I had a question about the oring when the lens came out it looked like the oring was placed around the lens i cant seem to put it back around the lens , so when I screw the bezel back on i can see i tiny gap I dont know how the oring was originally placed
FreakzRitual If it's built the same, the o-ring actually is placed around the reflector, in the gap between the reflector and body. You gotta shove it in there then put the glass on. I'll take a look when I get home tho.
FreakzRitual You're welcome. Ya I think that'll keep it water resistant. It's not that water resistant but some rain will be fine. It's tricky cuz the o-ring actually stops water between three things, reflector, glass, and body. Tricky design.
FreakzRitual Hi, I checked mine out. Looks like the glass presses into the o-ring while it's around the reflector. If you have problems with yours, let me know and I can show more detail. How do you like the light? Is it super bright? Cheers, David.
I'm in the UK looking for wf-501b xm-l2 on eBay and Amazon and there's 100 different versions, some 800lms, 1000lms.. but can't find a single one that's 1800
John Michael Stock Hi, If you're looking for a good 18650 flashlight, check out the Convoy S2+, it's the new benchmark in quality low priced flashlights. The WF-501B was good the years ago but there has been many new models added by many manufacturers since. Check out the zanflare F1 if you want a full featured USB chargeable light. Or the On The Road M3 if you want a compact EDC. They got something for everything these days. Cheers, David.
Sorry if you addressed this and I missed it but how do you tell how many watts a light is producing or functioning at (whichever is the correct terminology)?
Hi David, I didn't discuss this, but that's a great question!! You can simply measure the battery voltage, then put the leads on the meter to the amp plug and switch it to amp function, then measure the amps by taking off the tail cap, and connecting the battery to the body through the meter, it'll measure the amps, multiply amps by voltage to find the power, however this method will measure the heat loss in the battery due to internal resistance, so that would be the true power consumption of the system. If you want to know the power delivery to the flashlight, excluding the power released in the battery, you could use a 130A RC power meter, and connect that to a 1S lithium cell, and put that to the flashlight, that'll be a much more difficult test to set up, but it'll give you a very accurate power reading for the driver and LED system. You also need to connect 12V to the meter to keep it running, 4.2V isn't enough. If you need a cheap good multimeter, check out the VC97(aliexpress or something, Gearbest has some for $20 but they only do up to 10A, might be enough if you don't want to spend a little more) it's what I use to test my lights, it can do up to 20A, but you'll need to make your own thick wire gauge leads for testing at high currents. Cheers, David.
I'm looking for a tactical light to use on nightly neighborhood foot patrols. I usually need to light up 50-100 feet of a sidewalk. Any recommendations for a product that has the least amount of spill, won't heat up in my hand? I've been looking at the Fenix TX16 or TX22 but also seems like the Ultrafire Cree C8 seems like a great candidate as well.
Hi Chuck, There are a couple options, I would personally use a SkyRay King 7 x XM-L2, running on medium or low mode so that it doesn't heat up, but it has the ability to go on high and provide massive amounts of light when you need it, stock it runs at 35W, so it's about as bright as a car's set of headlights. I wouldn't want to try it, but if a bear or cougar were to become a threat, that might be enough to scare them off. If you're looking for a lower powered light, I would go with the Convoy S2+ or the Convoy C8, I don't personally like the tight beam angle of the C8, since you limit your viewable angle, and limit your vision, but if you need the throw out to 300ft, it might be the way to go, however, I find that the beam angle of the S2+ to be appropriate most applications, while providing enough light output within the beam to be useful at distances up to 150ft. The useful distance is completely dependent on the color of the object being tracked and the background lighting tho, so it's a good idea to have more light than you need. For me, I would carry the SkyRay first, if not the Convoy s2+, then the C8. The problem I see with the C8 is that it's only useful for long distances, since at short distances it will glare and reduce your peripheral vision, the Convoy doesn't do that, but will throw enough light, and have the punch to see distant objects. If you can carry a large SkyRay though, it would give you the best of short and long. Pair that with the 3400 or 3500mAh cells and you'll run all night(on medium or low). I have videos up on all those things, check the cards and you'll see links to them. Cheers! David.
+David Sunshine Thanks for the detailed feedback and awesome detailed review. I'm leaning toward a smaller light as I often need to conceal it in my jacket pocket, so the Convoy S2 or C8 sounds like the way to go. Any thoughts on the new Cree XLamp XP-L? www.cree.com/LED-Components-and-Modules/Products/XLamp/Discrete-Directional/XLamp-XPL It looks like Fenix's PD32 2016 is using it: www.fenixlight.com/ProductMore.aspx?id=2195
+Chuck Spidell You're welcome. Then certainly you'll want the Convoy S2+. Make sure you don't get the Convoy S2, it's actually the older version of the flashlight, the S2+ has some upgrades, the major one being that it is a little longer so that it can use protected cells as well. The C8 has a large head, so it's more bulky and isn't really a pocket flashlight for that reason, it's almost as bulky as the SkyRay King since the diameter of the head is so similar. The Convoy S2+ is one of the few lights that has a head size the same as the body, it makes it much nicer to carry in the front pockets of the 5.11 Stryke pants. The WF-501B is a good light for $6, but it puts out 3/4 the light of the Convoy since it's reflector is less reflective. The Convoy's reflector is made better and that is reflected in the higher output of light. I actually haven't heard of the XP-L, goes to show that if you don't keep up with technology every week, you fall behind! I just took a look at it though, and it looks promising. They state 200 lumens/watt at 350mA, and 161 lumens/watt at 3A, that's great, and will push the light output of flashlights even further. Another great thing is that the footprint is 3.5x3.5mm instead of 5x5mm, the smaller a light source, the better it lends itself to focusing, and being blinding and causing glare(good for self defense), but not as a street light. Unfortunately, it'll be harder to cool with a smaller footprint, so might not lend itself to overdriving like the XM-L2, and may lead to lower lifespan, but that's not an issue for everyone. I haven't started testing the XP-L lights, but by the sounds of it, it's a great LED, promising of good things. I hope that they make a Convoy S2+ style light using it, they'll have to update the reflector, but the drivers can all be the same. The PD32 only puts out 900 lumens, so I think they're driving it at ~2.5A maybe? You'll still get more light output from the Convoy S2+ at this time. I guess there's no huge advantage to getting an XP-L right now. If you'll be pocketing the light, the Convoy would be my preference, since it's the same shape throughout, it slides in easily. PD32 doesn't look bad either, basically the same size and shape, and if you want the side switch it's the way to go, but will cost you $60 instead of $14.
Bill C I think it would be good if they actually put in real XML LEDs, but a lot are fake, and only good for 5w, that's why I recommend XML2 with 7x, they are real Cree LEDs, so you get better output and can increase the power to them to get even more output. The quality of light is also better. With more LEDs you'll get smaller reflectors, and that results in less throw, and throw is important for a flashlight if you want to view further away. If you can find real XML LEDs then it might be good to have 12, if you're on with more of a flood light though.
Hi, good question. I don't know if it's a counterfeit item, I got it from eBay China so chances are, it's fake lol. With that said, the XML2 LED seems real, and ran at 15W no problem when I hooked up a good 4.2V source to it. With that said, the driver pulled 15W, so it's a resistance based limit. If you throw in a good battery, it will also pull 15W and reduce as the voltage reduces. Is that how it's supposed to work? FYI: I use linear regulators now, Convoy just release a new driver for $3.50, with 8x7135, so 2.8A, I think that's the best driver to use for any single LED flashlight, or the 105D, I pulled the stock driver from this and won't be using it anymore, it's basically useless. I don't use the 501B anymore, the Convoy lights are way better quality too, check the description for some updates if interested too. Cheers! David.
Thanks for an excellent review, is the Securitying is the same output as the skyray king that you review? It is hard to get skyray king in Australia the only option is at eBay but I heard that there is a lot of fake.
Hi Jerry, you're welcome! I don't have the Securitying SkyRay, but I have some of their lights and they are genuine quality products, as long as you buy from the main Securitying user, you should be avoiding the garbage out there, also try gearbest and fasttech, they are great sources for good merchandise. Cheers, David.
+Rodrigo Alvergue Great question! Both use either the XML or XML2 LED, and similar drivers with current limiting resistors, it'll start off bright but drop off with the voltage drop. My WF501b actually pulled 15W on a full charge, so it put out 1760lumens peak, dropping quickly though. They will output the same, about 1000lumens average, but the C8 is larger and has a tighter beam, so if you want throw then go with the C8, for trail and outdoor use, the WF501b is better. But if you want to pay more for a 30% brighter light, go with the Convoy S2+, check out my video on it here ruclips.net/video/q2kW52HLk-U/видео.html The secret to its' output is the high quality reflector that it uses. There are only really three things that make a flashlight, Driver, Reflector, and LED. Battery too, but that's like fuel in a car, can't really count it as a part of the car. The cheap flashlights all use great LEDs, but where they fail is the driver and reflector(optics). The convoy costs more but they throw a good driver and reflector on there. So if you're in search for the highest output, there you go! and put good fuel in there, the LG 3500mAh.
Joshua Huang Hi, no, there lumens I stated are a lie, sort of. The peak lumen output could be high like I said, but sustained lumen output will be more realistically 800-1000 lumens. In this latest video I show the 1300 lumen UT02 and explain a little about efficacy and wattage. Check it out if you're interested, a good rule is that one XML will put out about 600-1000 lumens depending on how much current the driver throws at it. Zoomable lights are usually at 600 lumens, the reflector based lights can push 800-900 lumens usually. Hope that helps! ruclips.net/video/tnJjGxKwfiU/видео.html Check out my s2+ video or F1 video too, those are great lights too. Cheers, David.
For the WF-501B: Yes, the driver has a current limiting resistor, so it'll restrict the current, but since it's just a resistor, it'll vary with voltage and internal resistance of the battery, so if you put in a battery with a very low internal resistant, the current will be increased, if it's fully charged to 4.2V, it'll pull even more current, as that voltage goes down, the current goes down. Lights like the Convoy S2+, have AMC 7135 current limiters, and if you have 8 x 350mA, you'll have 2.8A, if you have 8 x 380mA, it'll be 3.04A. Some AMC 7135 are 380mA, others 350mA. Check out the blue one here: tidd.ly/db7a1a97 I recommend that you ask for the Biscotti driver, it's an additional $1.50 upgrade, but the on-time firmware is amazing, and it's programmable. The firmware operation is shown here: tidd.ly/817a2be4 To truly get 1000 lumens, you'll want a driver that pushes more amps, 2.8A is fine, but 3.04A is better, however I'm not sure who has the drivers with 380mA 7135s on there. You can buy them separately and add them yourself if you're into modding. If you want the most powerful light, you can buy a MOSFET and add it, or buy a driver with a mosfet and swap that in, and then add an XP-L2, it's the best LED right now, and just came out last year. But it gets hot very quickly since it's running at 20+W, and may be pushing out over 2000 lumens(Real lumens). I haven't done all the testing, but my suspicions from initial testing indicate over 2000 lumens. If you want to avoid all that modding, you can buy larger lights with 3800 lumens, like the Convoy L6. My review video is here: ruclips.net/video/h6KlvFASrQ4/видео.html I'll link to my videos, which have a bunch of information, but if you got any specific questions, please do not hesitate to ask! It's quicker than going through the videos, but they're there if you want to watch them too. If you want a compact thrower with a USB charge port, the UT02 is great, review here: ruclips.net/video/tnJjGxKwfiU/видео.html Here's my review for the Convoy S2+: ruclips.net/video/q2kW52HLk-U/видео.html And if you want a small every day carry, the M3 fits the bill: And it's a true 900-1000 lumens, it's bonkers bright! ruclips.net/video/_wfSUfMFCVo/видео.html Another great light, similar to the S2+, but 1240 true lumens, is the zanflare F1, here's my review here: ruclips.net/video/RNxiwvHCEdY/видео.html After skimming the information there, you should have a great understanding of flashlights, lumens, and what to expect from different lights. The UT02 is the newest video, so it has the most up-to-date graphs. I have other mod videos as well, I think those videos has links to those if you're interested. Cheers! David.
+yamahaevo Hi, yup, I have a lux meter, but it doesn't really tell you much, which is why I didn't talk about it. I did do some testing with it, and below are my findings: By checking the hot spot of the lights, the C8 has a higher lux than the WF-501B right in the center, but the WF-501B has higher light levels to the wider portions of the distribution, good for trails as it will help with peripheral visibility. I can also tell you that the SkyRay King 7x produced the same lux levels as direct sunlight in the summer at about 2PM, at distances of 2.5m, so it can really blind someone if they're coming at you at night time, maybe even in the daytime. I didn't do any testing of how well the lights light up a room, but that will just be directly proportional to their light output. For instance, if I light up a room with the WF-501B, it will provide about 25lux, if I use the SkyRay king, it'll provide about 7 times that since it outputs 7 times more light, so ~175lux, as would be expected. Hope that is the sort of information you're looking for. Cheers, David.
Hi David I have a question, did you have any problems with shipping lithium batteries in most countries sending batteries aren't allowed , I am interested in buy the S2 and one Panasonic 18650 battery from gearbest and I don't want to lose my packet if the shipping service can't send me Lithium batteries
Hi, I didn't have a problem getting them in Canada, I did lose one shipment, but Gearbest refunded me for that. The rest of the batteries, I got no problem. I think the shipping companies have been limiting it to 4 x 18650 max, so if you keep your order at 4 or less you should be fine. I'd get the S2+ and the Sanyo 3500mAh battery. You can get the Panasonic 3400mAh as well, it's cheaper, but definitely not as good, it has a high internal resistance and a little less power.
Look to pick up WF-UltraFire-12W-cree-XPE-2000Lm-LED-Zoomable-Mini-Flashlight-Torch-18650-US But the link is no good. Who should i buy from so I get a good seller and light with memory . As you said these are the best. Thx Pat
+fireofficer001 Hi, the WF-501B is the best light under $10 for sure, but recently the drivers going into them are garbage ones without memory, and it doesn't look like any ebayers indicate memory. Therefore I would recommend buying a Convoy S2+, which has on time memory, Gearbest has the best prices right now. The S2+ is the best light between $10-$20. Here's my review on the Convoy, if you want to check it out. ruclips.net/video/q2kW52HLk-U/видео.html You can swap out the driver of the WF-501B, which I have done, but the driver is $3, so you might as well pay the extra and get the S2+. Cheers, David.
Thanks! I've been a flashlightholic since a kid, since my first Duracell 2 x AA 3V flashlight, kicking out 20 lumens, lol. Ya the diffuser from the old LCD is a good find, it's helpful as a video light. The efficiency is high since they don't want to waste power and light in an iPhone too, so that's good for us. Hope it helps somebody who needs diffused light, for videpgraphy or just working on the car. Cheers, David.
Hey I'm from the UK and wondering if you could help me pick a good handheld flashlight that I can mount on my mountain bike for night ride trails. I need a very powerful one with good throw. preferably one with 18550 or the 26550 whichever is better for good power output as I want to carry multiple batteries and just change on the go. Iv bought one from ebay and have it on my bike but its not very bright and doesn't really last long :/
Hi, I don't actually use a bike light, but I have seen the Lumintop B01 (www.aliexpress.com/item/33046014882.html) that looks like a great 21700 light(can use 18650s as well). Small and compact, but has the distribution required for a good bike light. Check it out. Lumintop makes great quality lights, at a decent price. It won't be super bright, only 800 lumens, but it throws the light where you need it, and you won't need to carry a lot of batteries with you. If you want to use a high output light, it'll be symmetrical and throw half the light up in the air, glaring a lot of people/drivers, so not really recommended, but it will certainly help people see you coming, so it's safer in that regard. This one is probably around 2000-3000 lumens assuming each LED gives less than 1000 lumens (www.aliexpress.com/item/32508831256.html), it's a nice TIR optic so will have a good distribution, throwing light further to your peripheral view than a reflector based light. At 2000 lumens, you're running 20watts, so 4 x 18650s 3000mAh should give you about 2.2 hours runtime. You won't want to be pushing much more than 2000 lumens, otherwise your runtime takes a big hit and you'll need to carry like 8 or 12 x 18650s, swapping every 40 minutes. Aside from blinding everyone, you'll be transporting a lot of batteries. This is why the lower lumen Lumintop B01 makes more sense with it's reflector that pushes light down onto the road. The battery pack above is custom, but you can buy 8.4V packs that you can put 18650s in: www.aliexpress.com/item/4001234028038.html or 26650/18650 in this www.aliexpress.com/item/1005001587290448.html Then just buy the head: www.aliexpress.com/item/32509072469.html Hope that helps. Cheers! David.
Hi, I purchased the Panasonic 3400mAh protected cells, and I think that's the best for the SkyRay since the protection circuit will keep you safe from any shorts or high temperatures. They are quality cells and capable of delivering high amperage. Liitokala distributes these, and they're genuine Panasonic 3400mAh cells, I've tested them and they're high performing. They are considerably cheaper than the Sanyo 3500mAh or LG 3500mAh, and perform similarly in real life tests. tidd.ly/955b737d Cheers! David.
Anytime! They delivered my cells to Canada, but apparently now they don't deliver here, that's too bad, I guess I'll have to find a new source if I need more. Hopefully they deliver to you. Cheers! David.
Nice review. Good to know what to watch out for. I don't think that you want "efficacy" but rather "efficiency": the ratio of one thing to another, in this case lumens per watt. Keep up the good work.
+davecc0000 Thanks man! I thought exactly the same thing, and I still kinda think it should be efficiency as well. But for whatever reason, I don't know, they call it efficacy, for the lumens per watt unit. Check it out, they call it luminous efficacy, and the Cree website states efficacy as 116 lumens/watt for the XM-L2. Wiki too, so I just call it efficacy cuz they all do. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luminous_efficacy Maybe we're the only 2 people who think it should be efficiency? I don't know sometimes. lol
No I have not. But you're right, the"cheap" lights do break quickly, way too soon. Great point! So if you want to pay a little more, I would recommend spending a little more and purchasing higher quality lights, I've listed some recommendations in the description. In fact, I've been carrying the S2+ and on the road M3 for a few years, and they are both standing up to the beating! So I can say those are quality lights. Cheers, David.
David Sunshine no your wrong the expensive one fuck up a lot to losing faith in flashlight companies and read countless reviews many flashlights fail I need a top notch I work at night club so use all night ....
Pls help me, I just need a good quality flash light for the backpack that is reliable. I have no idea what model to buy or from where. I see some cheap but high lumen led on eBay but sounds too good to be true. I am in Australia btw. Loved your video and your knowledge is amazing. Ty for sharing your knowledge!
Hi, Sure thing. Depending on what you're looking for, there are different options out there for you. If you want a high lumen output compact soda-can sized flashlight, the Olight X7R Marauder is great, at 12,000 lumens, it's enough light for anybody. It's very good quality and has a lot of safety features, and is made of the best materials and parts. If you want to pay less, but still want decent quality, the Convoy L6, Convoy C8, Convoy S2+, Zanflare F1, UTorch UT02, UTorch UT01, On the Road M3, and DQG 26650 are great flashlights with good quality for relatively low prices. The Ebay flashlights that have high ratings are exactly what you've concluded, they're too good to be true, and are 99% of the time, fake, and not worth your time or money. The quality is very poor, and can be expected to fail on you, and disappoint you. The Convoy L6 is a little too big for you to put in your backpack, but it's a great 3800 lumen light. All the other lights I listed are suitable for your backpack, they just have different functions. Each one is worth every penny, so it's really up to your needs and preference. I'll list it based on my preference from most preferred to least. I have reviews on the UT01, UT02, F1, M3, S2+, and L6 if you wanta check them out, but not the C8 or DQG yet. The DQG is like the SkyRay King, you can check out all the beam shots here, so you get a good understanding of what each flashlight can do, and then you can choose the one you want based on your needs: ruclips.net/video/82sL-KGqhDA/видео.htmlm7s #1.) UTorch UT01: It pushes out 800 lumens peak, so is a powerful light. This light uses a 14500, but can also use AA batteries, so if my battery is dead, and I need more runtime, I can easily get some AA's and keep going. You'll want to buy a good Sanyo 14500 battery for this one, but it's not necessary, a good NiMH AA is great too, and gives a good 500 lumens, it doesn't look that much less than 800 lumens. #2.) On the Road M3: It pushes out 800-920 lumens, depending on color temperature, but is similar to the UT01, unfortunately it uses a 16340, so although it's a great EDC, it can't use AA batteries, you'll have to recharge it or find an expensive CR123A to keep going. But if that's not a big issue for you, it's a great kit, and comes in a complete kit with battery/charger/cable/carry case for a good price. It has a magnetic tail clip, making it very useful for fixing the car, or mounting somewhere to give you handsfree light (The UT01 doesn't have this, you'll have to glue a magnet to the tail yourself.) #3.) Zanflare F1: This pushes out 1240 lumens. It's a larger light that uses an 18650, so it'll give you more runtime than the UT01 and M3, but it is heavier/bigger. It has a micro USB charge port, so you can keep it charged up no problem. It can't be used when charging, so you'll have to plan ahead. You'll need to buy a good 18650 for this flashlight. The Panasonic 3400mAh is a great battery. #4.) Convoy S2+: This is another great light, with about 900-1000 lumens of output, and uses the 18650 like the F1. It doesn't have a micro USB charge port, but other than that it's a great compact flashlight. You'll need to buy a good 18650 for this one too, and have a separate 18650 charger. #5.) Convoy C8: this is like the S2+, but it's more of a thrower, and has a larger head. If you want a good thrower, this may be your #1 flashlight. If you need to throw light really far away to see into the distance, this is a great option. #6.) UTorch UT02: This is similar to the C8, but larger, heavier, and an even better thrower. It pushes out 1300 lumens, and uses a larger 26650 battery. It also has a micro USB charge port, so like the F1, it'll be easy to keep charged. You'll want to buy a good Littokala 26650 5000mAh battery for this one. #7.) DQG Tiny 26650: This is a Tiny light, as the name suggests, but it throws out around 3000 lumens with a 90 second turbo timer. It gets hot fast, but if you're looking for massive amounts of light from a small package, this is the one to go with. Great pack light in my opinion, you can light up an entire field with the DQG 26650. #8.) Convoy L6: This is a huge 3800 lumen light. I don't think you'll want to carry it around in a back pack, it's more of a light for walking the dog, where coyotes might attack you and you need to blind them. You'll need to buy 2 x 26650s and a charger to run this light, it doesn't come in a complete kit with everything you need, which I find strange. They should really start doing that. Hope that gives you a good summary of the lights, if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask. Hope that helps! Cheers! David.
+No google no. You're welcome! Hope it helped! BTW, I didn't review it in this, but I got a new light, the Convoy S2+, if you want to spend a little more, check it out, I think it's worth it. ruclips.net/video/q2kW52HLk-U/видео.html
+David Sunshine Oh damn. I already ordered the skyray king knockoff. And the headlamp you recommended that looked like a better fit. I'm not a flashlight guy. But wanted a good deal for a nice flashlight. People like you are what makes RUclips gold. Enthusiasts that spread your insights. Btw you should open up an online store. Or use affiliate codes for amazon or equivalent.
+No google no. That's ok,, the Convoy S2+ isn't a replacement for the SkyRay king, it's good as a backup light if you go camping/hiking or if the power goes out though. Can't have enough lights! The Convoy does cost a little more, so it comes at a premium, the WF-501B is still a good deal, and less than half the price of the Convoy. It's all personal preference too, not everyone wants different color temperature or different driver options, or even faster PWM dimming. You can always swap out the LED or driver if you want different color or options. I've upgraded the LED and driver on my WF-501B, I put in a warm white LED, and the driver gives it some better mode options(I put in the Nanjg 105D 8x7135 from fasttech), and makes the PWM dimming faster at 18kHz. It's pretty easy to do if you're handy with a soldering iron. I was thinking about making a video about the upgrades. What type of color temperature do you like? I like the color of an incandescent light, it's like the old halogen maglights. Thanks for the encouraging comments, that's exactly why I make the videos, to share the knowledge and things I've learned along the way, always glad to help out! Thank you for the suggestions too, I'll definitely look into it. Cheers! David.
Hello, I want to buy Lumitact g700. Is it a good brand and good product? If not, can you give me a suggestion which is having same feature like g700? Thanks!
Hi, the Lumitact G700 is a 600 lumen flashlight, zoomable type, worth about $4 or less, not worth any more than that. A flashlight that's similar to it, would be this one from gearbest: tidd.ly/5d0ff488 for $3.41, you get a good zoomable flashlight. Below are some videos of lights I recommend, easier to show you than tell you about them here, links are handy in the description if you want to check out my links, thanks in advance! But if you want a quality light that has a nice reflector and good distribution, check out the Convoy S2+, here is my video about it: ruclips.net/video/q2kW52HLk-U/видео.html If you dont't have an 18650 battery or charger, you could get a complete kit with a small every day carry flashlight that is so small you won't even know you have it with it, but when you need it, it'll punch out 1000 lumens easily, check out the video here: ruclips.net/video/_wfSUfMFCVo/видео.html Hope that helps! Cheers, David.
Heyy Im Thinking About Getting A Good EBay Flash Light But I Need One That's Really Bright , Not Too Expensive & Good For Hunting Rabbits Which Would You Recommend? Thanks For The Video Tho!
Hi, for hunting you should spend more. Try the Convoy S2+(similar distribution to the WF-501b, maybe a little more wide) from gearbest. If that's too much, go with the WF-501b for close range, and C8 for longer distance(since it has a tighter spot). You can get them from Gearbest to make sure they are high quality and not some fake Cree LEDs. Some ebayers with low reputation will sell fake garbage for a cheaper price. You can mount them to a weaver rail with 1" scope mount rings, the WF-501b actually can be purchased complete with a momentary switch and a ring if that's what you want. Hope that helps, Cheers.
Something like this. vi.raptor.ebaydesc.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItemDescV4&item=261950932134&category=106974&pm=1&ds=0&t=1448415868538 Good for a 20mm weaver rail. You can also get them with barrel mounts if you're using a shotgun.
But if you really want to light up the field and blind them rabbits in their tracks, get the 7x XML headlight, that will be super bright, and won't need any mounts to the rifle. It usually comes with a pack, but I would rather use my own 18650 cells, as I could use the LG 3500mAh cells(best on the market).
Haha nice man!! Do you have the Convoy L6, S2+ and the Clear C8 with new firmware? They are the new players in the house and destroy these lights in every way lol.
this one not but I just ordered the Convoy C8 LED Flashlight - U6 3A BLACK with.. Cree XPL H1 U6 3A 993Lm 7135 x 8 Driver 2 Group Modes Memory Function...and...I have some "VN" lights too if you know them?Grtzz bro.. ;)
Nice! The XPL HI will make it a throwing beast. That's a good driver too. Convoy recently released a new driver with firmware, I'll have to test it to see how well it with though. Might suck, who knows. I haven't heard of the VN lights, are they as good an well priced as the Convoy lights?
Good question! It might peak at that for a second, then it'll drop to something reasonable like 1100 lumens. Nominally I would say it's 1000 lumens, it's a FET driver so it isn't constant, is varying with the voltage. It's better to get a constant current driver, like a Convoy S2+. If you want a good FET flashlight with integrated micro USB charger port, try out the Zanflare F1, someone got it if AliExpress for about $15! Cheers! David.
Be careful. A lot of the flashlights on eBay advertise Cree as the LED and when I recieved it, it was NOT a Cree but a knockoff. Also, component and build reliability comes with the more expensive versions. I have has numerous button failures on my eBay flashlights. But my 9 year old Streamlight Stinger still works.
Ya I know what you mean. I had a button go flaky, I took it apart and cleaned it to make it work, worked fine after that, but the quality is just not there. I've been using the Convoy flashlights, S2+ is good, C8, L2 and L6 are all good as well. Even the cheap SkyRay King's are well made for a relatively low price. The WF-501B is good for a $6 flashlight, but it's nothing compared to a more expensive Convoy S2+ at $12.98, the Convoy is way better quality. I haven't received any fake XML LEDs, but they have shipped me XML when it was listed as XML2, they said nobody else complained! I don't care, I paid for XML2, so I wanted XML2. What do the fake LED's look like, if you don't mind sending me a picture that would be awesome, I'm curious, davidsunshine867@gmail.com. I also recently got the On the Road M3, it's amazing, as powerful as the Convoy S2+, but with just a 16340 battery!(it's a very high performance battery, and they use a high efficacy XML2 LED), good reflector, AR coated lens. Cheers, David.
i bet they don't put out as much light as advertised though, for instance that 8500lm may be more like 1000-2000 if that. The smaller ones probably more accurate
You are 100% correct, they don't put out as much as they state. The SkyRay King rated for 8500 lumens actually puts out half if you're lucky, so ya more like 2000 lumens out the front, that would be a conservative value, since you need to take into account reflector efficiency losses. But 7 x XML2 LEDs are more than capable of outputting 8500 lumens if you highly modify the SkyRay King, add cooling, add 2 additional mosfets, and drive it hard with very good batteries, like the LG HG2 or MJ1s, I've tried it and it pulled over 85W, at 116 lumens per watt, or even conservatively 100 lumens per what, that's 8500 lumens output from the LEDs, with reflector losses it could be 8000 lumens or so. They say it's 116 lumens per what, with 170 lumens per what (based on binning), so with the right bin, you could even get 85*170=14450 lumens of output, but you'd have to get the best LEDs that they produce, and they don't make many of those. So it's safe to say the efficacy is 100 lumens per watt. As for the WF-501B, if it's putting 15W and over 3A to the LED, at 116 lumens per watt, it's 15x116 = 1740 lumens from the LED, the reflector could have losses, so safely say 1500 lumens. You can check out the Cree website for more details: www.cree.com/LED-Components-and-Modules/Products/XLamp/Discrete-Directional/XLamp-XML2 There's also lumen depreciation, after using the LED for so many hours, it'll reduce to 80% output, so it's brightest on day 1. For them to say the flashlight is 2000 lumens though, is a complete lie if it's a single XML2 LED, they run at about 1000 lumens if you drive them fully. They can be overdriven hard, but you need to put it on a copper SinkPad II pad, and I've done that before and pushed 5.2A to it, 20W+, that may make it push out over 2000 lumens, but you need a good driver, a good battery, and monster cooling for that to work properly. LOL. You can see that here if you like: ruclips.net/video/Uzjv_zwr8Ng/видео.html Anyways, thank you for the comment, it's very insightful! Cheers, David.
Lol sorry about the essay. You know your stuff too. I just like to play around with LED flashlights, and push the limits, it's a cool technology and it's crazy they're getting better and better. I haven't even gotten into the 6V and 12V LED's yet, check them out, the XHP35, XHP50 and XHP70. If you build flashlights with those LEDs, they will be bonkers! Like an XHP70 in a Convoy S2+ could put out like 4000 lumens, true lumens too, not some fake Chinese 10,000 lumens, which is more like 2000 lumens. They just came out with the XHP series, they released the XHP35 recently, a TINY led that can output 1833 lumens they say. Imagine a key chain light putting out 2000 lumens(you can over drive them a bit, it'll get hot fast, but for 10 seconds I'm sure it's ok, if you use lots of copper).
rota cetle Yup. They should, but there's only so much people can do. Like you can report them on eBay, but eBay doesn't care much, they'll just refund you and make you return it, that just makes you waste your time to drive to the post office lol. So they pay, but only return shipping. It's too bad. They should get in more trouble. Like get fined.
I guess in a strange way they aren't false advertising. They are just taking advantage of how people assume, they put maybe something like "2000lm" for one light. They don't specifically say the flashlight will produce that, you could interpret it as they are telling you what that LED diode could output at it's best setup (not saying within that flashlight or from that battery, lol). They even do this with the batteries, put mAh rating on them that are not really practical. You see at least the Japan and Korean brands of lithium batteries give you ratings for normal usage. But the trustfire ones once again use a specific technicality. You know that if you draw current from a battery at a very small rate that you get more power out of it, so they put it in a test and draw a very small amount of current out of it and get the biggest number they can get. Most of the trustfire 4000+mAh batteries are really in normal usage 1500mAh at best. The best 18650 batteries for cheap are getting them out of a laptop battery. You will find legit Sony, Samsung, Panasonic etc cells in there that their rating is real. I know because I use these myself and they are great.
Thanks David! You stubbled across one of my first videos of this to type! I've done a bunch more reviews of various lights, worked my way up from a $12 convoy S2+ and $26 skyray king to some lights over $100. Funny thing, the blue S2+ is still my favorite! Cheers! David.
Anytime man! I guess it depends how you hunt and what gun you use, are you using a .22LR? iron sights or scope? The headlight may not work that well since you'll need to readjust a bit when you aim, I'm sure you could get it figured out though. The XM-L2 is a bright LED, but a single LED flashlight will only be so bright, as you see in the video, the 7x really helps light up the entire forest, may be your best bet for hunting.
The Cree XML2 was the best at the time, but they've since come out with the XPL and XPL HI, those are the best single die LEDs, they also have the XHP series, which are multi-die LEDs, XHP stands for Extra High Power, and they are powerful. The Convoy L6 uses the XHP 70, and it's really powerful, 4000 lumens out of a single LED, so it's great for a tight beam angle and throw. The 7 x XML2 is very powerful too, it can out put around 7000 lumens easily if you drive each LED to 3A, stock I think they drive them with enough current to put out 3500 lumens only. I guess it depends on what you want.
***** you know any place i can buy a single led (i want it cheap lol) that outputs really a lot of light? (zoomable would be better too i think, they cooler) i see tons of them on ebay for like 5 euros... and i dont really trust them, they are too cheap to be true...
If you live in the US, you can buy Thorfire zoomable VG15 from Amazon (goo.gl/WbfCxv), you'll pay a little more but that's a quality zoomable, if that's what you're after. You could pay a lot less for a low quality one from Aliexpress (tidd.ly/8c8a2b5f), and save a lot of money. It's similar to the zoomable I show in the video. I don't like zoomables that much, when you zoom in, you only output 1/3 the amount of light, the other 2/3 is lost inside the flashlight, but in flood, they make a nice uniform distribution, so they are pretty cool. I guess it depends on what you want. Check out the Convoy S2+ if you want a reflector type flashlight, it's actually a very well made light: ruclips.net/video/q2kW52HLk-U/видео.html I prefer reflector based lights over zoomables, but depends what you like. Convoy just came out with a new firmware, that's off-time memory, and user programmable, you can turn on and off memory if you want too, so you can have it default to always on 100%, or default to moonlight all the time. Or memorize if you were on moonlight or high and it'll go back to that. You can even program it to only have 100% mode, so no low modes or blinky modes, just straight 100%, which is pretty cool. You can only get that from the Convoy store on Aliexpress, let me know if you want a link to it. When you order it from them, you just ask them to give you the new firmware(called Biscotti), and they'll give it to you, it's worth it I think.
Lol, thank you for your honesty. The SkyRay Kings are known for their crap quality, but the one I have actually has genuine Cree XM-L2's in there, so it produces quite a bit of light, probably 3000 lumens at least, based on how well it lit up the trail. 1000 lumens (like an S2+) wouldn't be able to light up that trail that well. The newer SkyRays though, mostly have fake Cree LEDs in there, just some random garbage LED, so most SkyRay kings are probably producing a lot less light than they're supposed to. An Ikea 1000 lumen GX53 bulb probably has a better chance at producing 3000 lumens than those SkyRays. Cheers! David.
I have a 900 lumen flashlight that would light up the trail really well actually. It's quite a thrower which is why I must have been thinking under 1000 lumens and it might also be the camera but if someone in real life thinks that, I guess I'll believe them.
Ya, your 900 lumen light might have a hotter hot spot, so it can throw really well. The SkyRay King is more of a flooder, so can't throw very well, but it can light up the entire field, so it's good if you need that type of light. The camera isn't as sensitive as the human eye, so it looks a little darker in the video. I've got a different camera now, so hopefully the videos turn out more realistic and are representative of what a human would see with the naked eye. Cheers! David.
+Andrew Kilner Hi Andrew, you know your stuff, and you're completely right, the out the front OTF lumens is NOT 1800 lumens, it can't be, and that's mainly due to the fact that the reflector is not a high efficiency reflector, and if I were to guess, loses 25% of the lumens right there, so if the LED were producing ~1800 lumens, it would be ~1350 lumens OTF. Let me explain myself further, just to clarify: With that said, when I tested the power draw of the flashlight using my 130A in-line energy meter, the WF-501B pulled 15.5W peak from a fully charged 4.20V cell, with the stock driver (it was basically a FET driver, with no linear current regulation at all, it just used the resistance of the system). With that said, if it uses a Cree XM-L2 LED, and the efficacy were 116 lumens/watt(This is the max of the series, and the actual LED efficacy may be less, I don't know what bin was in the WF-501B, but let's say it's an average of 116 lumens/watt, in reality it is probably less, but at least over 100 lumens/watt for the XM-L2), then that would be 15*116 lumens = 1798 lumens peak lumens. So the calculated lumen output of the LED is 1798 lumens. If we use 100 lumens/watt, it's still a good 1500 lumens, which is still pretty good amount for the $6 WF-501B. Sure it's not exactly 1800 lumens, but the thing is pretty close. Closer than most ebay flashlights that pull 1.3A(Like the X800, and alike) and claim 2500 lumens, that's lucky to produce 600 lumens. The thermal management and reflector quality of the WF-501B, but the XM-L2 in there is great, and I've been impressed by it. I soldered one onto a SinkPad II copper 16mm star, and have pushed a solid 5A through it for an hour without a problem, kept it cool with a copper CPU heat sink tho. If you check out my Convoy Inferno video, you can see that the LED push running at peak over 20W, and hangs out at 19+W indefinitely, jump to 1m54s to see the actual bench test with a power meter: ruclips.net/video/Uzjv_zwr8Ng/видео.htmlm54s At 19.3W and 116 lm/W, it's calculated at 2239 lumens. I'm sure it has some system losses, but it's hard to say what that is, could say it's 2000 lumens only. But your statement has great merit, with the stock aluminum pad, the LED would be on the verge of burning out if it were to push 1800 lumens, but I did see it run at that rating when testing. If you leave the WF-501B on, it gets very hot, so I know it's running close to the power rating of the Convoy S2+ with an 8x7135 driver. Good comment, thanks for posting. Cheers, David.
+Andrew Kilner I haven't tested that one out, but from what other users say, it's not well made, and the conductors may be so thin that it overheats and releases smoke. The LEDs may be counterfeit as well, and not real Cree LEDs, those are also only XML LEDs, so they won't put out as much light per watt as the XML2s. I recommend going with the newer XML2s as they can handle more current, and provide higher efficacy, which means more light for the amount of power you put into the system. goo.gl/inwpWe That's the 7x XML2 SkyRay I would buy, and you can get the LG3500mAh batteries from the same site.
Also, I would warn not to buy from EBay, my friend got a SkyRay a couple days ago and it was poorly made, the reflector wasn't even fastened to the LED board like mine was. I think they are really cutting corners to reduce production costs and maximize the bottom line. It's too bad. But Gearbest and fasttech have been selling good products, and they even state how many mAh they get out of the cells they sell. That's awesome because other sellers just sell 6000mAh cells that give you 900mAh. They won't even sell it if it does that, or they'll tell you if they do.
I should also speak on the lumen output, they say 25,000lm, but in reality, it'll pull about 10A max, which is about 40W initially, which only translates to 4000 lumens emitted, OTF is even less due to the reflector losses. It can't do 25000lm, since that requires over 6.5A to each LED, and they would burn out at 4.5A or so. Lol. They are just blowing smoke. Don't believe what they list there.
Great review, thanks! Top tip: The Convoy C8 AK-47 from Banggood is MUCH better than the Ultrafire version, plus you get a choice of LED tint and reflector. Well worth a few extra dollars, I like the warmer tints, colours look much nicer than with the neutral/cool tints. budgetlightforum.com/node/27531 I like the 18650 zoomable lights too, the best cheap pocket light for under $10 IMO. The tint is too blue, but otherwise a really good light.
+MrSimonj1970 Thanks for the comment and tip! I totally agree with you, if someone wants to pay a little more, the Convoy lights seem great, I haven't done a review of them, but they do look well built. The Convoy S2+ is probably what I would get, cuz I don't like the big reflector of the C8, but if you're after throw that's the way to go. I like the warmer color temperature too, personally I would get warm White, 2700K, with high color rendering and high R9 values, but that's just me. I want it to look like incandescent lighting. Natural White is probably what most people want. But then if you're after max brightness, the more blue the better, cool white at 6000K, or so. So there are options for everyone. And Ya, it's great convoy let's you choose the Driver and led. I think fasttech sells them, that is a good site with great products, everything I order from there has been well priced, and genuine. Definitely recommend them. Cheers!
Yup, I agree. Good point. If you want to spend a little more for higher quality lights, I suggest the ones in the description, cuz the quality is much better and they can take a beating. My buddy who's a carpenter has been using the S2+ for a few years on the job and it's still shining brightly! A testiment to its quality. Cheers, David.
Lol, probably a lot! These weren't very bright lights tho. Could barely light it up. If I used a C8 or L6, or the UT02 thought, that'd give them something to be annoyed at haha
These flashlights are junk. Buy a Thrunite TN12, and you'll never buy a junk flashlight again. I've had mine for almost 3 years, and it still works like brand new. I use it every single day! I've dropped it from the roof of a 2 story home multiple times. I've run over it with a heavily loaded 18 wheeler. I've dropped it in the pool, in the lake, etc. It's still like new, and it's only like $40 now. I bought 4 new ones yesterday to keep around the house in case they ever quit making the damn things.
Don't buy any of these cheap knock off flashlights. Go with a reputable brand like olight, nitecore, fenix ect. You'll spend more up front but you'll actually get the advertised lumens and most have a great warranty. If you want a tiny light with great output check out the rovyvon aurora line. They're awesome tiny lights
Thank you for the corrections, I really appreciate it, as I always seek improvement, it's one of the enjoyments of life, lifelong learning as they say. In my future recordings, you will find these improvements. One user told me to make my text size compatible for all platforms, small or large screen, and I think that really improved my videos. If you have any other corrections please let me know, however numerous they are! Have a great day. Cheers, David.
![Felix "Unfair" | [Stray Kids : SKZ-PLAYER]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Oswujxm2Ag0/mqdefault.jpg)
Finally a no nonsense flashlight review to help demystify the thousands of flashlights on Flea Market eBay. Thank you!
You should contact eBay and educate them on how to create filters for LED flashlights. That way people like us can quickly narrow down what we want.
Thanks for the positive comments Ramon, glad I could help out!
EBay is actually not my preferred source for getting electronics these days, I've stopped using them, as I've gotten XML instead of XML2, and when I complain, they say nobody else complains! I said, that doesn't mean they got XML2 LEDs! A lot of other electronics seem defective and/or counterfeit. A number of B40/A118Cs were fake, many other users that I linked to EBay got fakes, and now we are stuck with those. I'be removed the links.
I've started using Aliexpress, GearBest, and FastTech, check them out if you're looking for stuff, I recommend them.
I've also found a great XML2 flashlight that isn't $100, but performs like one of that price, it's the Convoy S2+ and it's $12.89! Check out my review video on it if you're interested.
It'll be your go to flashlight, should last a lifetime. It is better than the WF-501B, double the cost, but worth it in my books.
I like your idea of a search engine with filters though! It'll help people out, but until then, I guess we gotta do it the hard way. Good idea though. Like you could filter by beam angle, power, lumens, size, battery types, optic type, it would be awesome.
Anyways, thanks for the comment!
Cheers,
David.
This is an extremely helpful and informative review. Thank you!! I learned more about flashlights than I thought I needed to know, but now I feel equipped to make an informed choice. I appreciate the time you put into this very thoughtful presentation. Well done!!
Thank you for watching, and the kind comments! The pleasure was mine. Also, you may want to check out the Convoy S2+, it is way better than the WF-501B, and is new, costs twice as much, but I think it's worth it. It is the new WF-501B on the block!
Also check out the Panasonic 3400mAh battery, it is the go to battery for all flashlights now. The SoShine E4S is also a great charger.
Cheers,
David.
Wow ! Thanks for taking the time to help me
make a more informed purchase and the diffuser trick is cool
Thanks man! You're welcome!
Actually, in this video, the XM-L2 was the newest LED, but they have since come out with the XPL and XPL2. The XPL2 is so new, that only a handful of flashlights use it, so you'll have to buy the LED and install it to the flashlight yourself!
Some flashlights that you should check out include the Convoy S2+, Convoy C8, Convoy L6, zanflare F1, Utorch UT02, DQG Tiny 26650. Here's a video on the zanflare if you wanta know more about it: ruclips.net/video/RNxiwvHCEdY/видео.html
Here's a video about my collection, and quickly showing the UT02 and C8, I'll be reviewing those later.
Check the description of the collection video if you wanta see review videos for the other lights.
Cheers!
David.
This is one amazing review. Thank you so much for clearing up a lot of my questions. While I realize the drawbacks of the camera, I appreciate your take on the perspective visual as well. Keep up the fine work. Hello, PayPal.
You're welcome! Also, if you want to pay a little more for a higher quality light, check out my video on the Convoy S2+. Cheers, David.
+David Sunshine Can you elaborate on the heat aspect of the S2+? I see that the higher the chips, the brighter and hotter it gets. Am I safe with 8, or should I look for a 4 or even a 3? Also what is the difference between Convoy and Ultrafire?
+Mojave Max Ultrafire is a Chinese manufacturer or brand, and make very inexpensive but poor quality lights, they work, but only as good as a $6 can work, poor quality driver, machining, and parts. Convoy is a Chinese company too, but their lights are made of programmable drivers with quality current limiters that will last a lot longer and be reliable in use, the machining is high quality and the parts are quality, so the reflector is more reflective, giving you more light, and the tailswitch is higher quality so it won't intermittently fail on you upon usage. The o-ring seals are also better quality and you get a true water resistant light. The Ultrafires will be missing seals at the front lenses, since have to reduce costs by neglecting some aspects of the design. You pay three times the price for the Convoy, but you'll get that much more in terms of quality. I forgot to mention that they apply thermal grease, and Ultrafire does not, and does not even build the light for great thermal management, which leads us to the next question.
You're completely right, the higher wattage a light, the higher the steady state temperature will be. The better the thermal management(reduced thermal resistance or increased thermal conductivity coefficient), the quicker the light will reach that steady state temperature, and the lower that the junction temperature will be at the LED, extending LED lifespan and lumen maintenance. As an example, the Convoy has a good thermal system, in that the light gets hot quickly, and keeps the temperature of the LED down, the light runs at 70C on high. The WF-501b runs at the same wattage, but will take longer to get to 70C, but ultimately will, but the LED temperature will be much higher, over time the LED light output will drop, or may burn out completely.
You will be safe with 8*7135, but only for a few minutes, then you can drop to 50%. You can get the 6*7135 or 4*7135, but you won't be able to have the high output mode if you need it. I personally like having the option of having full light output, if I'm using it for trail walking, I'll drop to 50% so it doesn't get hot. Hope that helps! Cheers, David.
thermo grease is good to use also to dissipate heat... from the led lense to the body of the light.
Ya it's good, I use it generously.
I used a bunch between the LED and block, and block and threads to get the heat out of my 20W S2+.
Here's the build video: ruclips.net/video/Uzjv_zwr8Ng/видео.html
It was a beast of a flashlight, I've put a biscotti (Convoy) driver in there now though, so it's back to 2.8A/10W.
Excellent review!
Thank you! Appreciate it.
If you want to see some new and high quality lights, check out the recommendations in the description, or my most recent video about the lights I've been testing.
Cheers!
David.
Do you have a lux meter ?
love the led flood screen diffuser idea. awesome tip. thanks good review. i think it's time for an update since 2015
Wow that was comprehensive, and the best part was the extra technical info that gets you up to speed so you know what to look for.
Thanks man! I appreciate the feedback, glad you appreciate the technical info.
If you're looking for a really high quality flashlight, not one from Ebay, and are willing to pay around $12, check out the Convoy S2+, I have a review video for it, if you're interested: ruclips.net/video/q2kW52HLk-U/видео.html
I quite like this light.
I've also got the zanflare F1 recently too, and it's pretty good, great for people who want to use a micro USB charge cable instead of a separate charger.
Cheers!
David.
I was thinking about getting a spotty to scare the big fruit bats from stealing my mangoes, but I don't think a small one will cut it. You test things so extensively you might have to get a calibrated range, ie carpark, and a light meter, and take it to the next level. Good vids.
SidneyCritic ComedyHound Thanks for the idea, I ordered a light meter a couple months ago, waiting for it in the mail. Good idea on the range too, I'll have to do that. For throwers, you'll want to look at the L6, but it probably won't scare the bats much, you'll want a pest deterrent in the ultrasonic range for that I think. They probably make some. Then your mangoes will only be for you to enjoy!
Yeah, might as well go full scientific on it's ass and find somewhere with a flat wall far away, and some sticks on stands. We have weird bats that don't do sonic that much, they are all big eyes and eyesight, hence the spotty. Looking forward to back-to-back calibrated testing.
Lol, funny you say that, I just picked up my TA8133 light meter today! Works great. It verified that the iphone 3GS readings are representative of the light levels generated by the flashlights. I re-did the graphs, and they look the same. Skyray King is still on time, and L6 is slightly behind it.
I'll do more testing.
Thank you for taking the trouble to produce such an excellent video, well done !
You're welcome! It was my pleasure to present what I've learn, hopefully others enjoy it too. Thanks for the feedback.
FYI, look into the Convoy lights, I didn't have any when I made this video, but it's a good light based on the principles presented in this video.
Cheers,
David.
Nice man! Please do a review on all the new eBay lights!
There’s are so many new types that charge phones for under $50!
Thanks Anthony!
Great recommendation!
Ya I've actually been shopping on AliExpress and have found some great lights there. I've got this 18 LED soda can light, similar to the SkyRay king and it's great, plenty of light and has a USB port to keep my phone charger in a power outage! Great bang for the buck, I think it was $35.
4 x Samsung 30Qs and it's got plenty of power! I'll have to do a review on it.
Cheers!
David.
What about the Cree XML-R8 LED over the L2 versions?
Hi Charles,
I have no knowledge of the XML-R8 LED actually, it's sort of a mystery, so good question. It might be used to confuse people some more.
I took a look and I can only find XML and XML2, as linked below.
XM-L: www.cree.com/LED-Components-and-Modules/Products/XLamp/Discrete-Directional/XLamp-XML
XM-L2: www.cree.com/LED-Components-and-Modules/Products/XLamp/Discrete-Directional/XLamp-XML2
If you could please find the cutsheet on the Cree website and provide the link, I could take a look and see how it's specifications differ from the XM-L and XM-L2 offerings.
I would say with certainty that the XM-L2 listings have proven to actually have the XM-L2 Cree LEDs in them, and that they perform well and can handle 10W+.
Some people have purchased XM-L versions, and received a counterfeit LED that posed as an XM-L, but only handled 5W, and when they put more current to it expecting greater light output, they burnt them all out and was very disappointed.
The XML-R8 might actually be the code name for the counterfeit 5W LEDs, but I can't say that for certain.
Based on all the counterfeit stuff out there, one should be very careful with the unknown.
For certain though, I trust everything that Convoy, Fasttech, and Gearbest sell. Can't say the same for all the other no name brands/sellers out there though.
That's my take on it. Thanks again for the question.
Cheers,
David.
David Sunshine I guess 2016 its new.
here is the item number on eBay. 172373184461
i bought it and it appears to be brighter the my TrustFire 18x Cree L2 5 cell light. Maybe be another good video to talk about?
Hi.
Looking more into it, I'm starting to think it's a part of the false advertising that those cheap manufacturers are using to confuse people, like saying an XML flashlight has 2000 lumens. Basically impossible without insane cooling and the highest bin LED.
I found a listing saying 12xXML-R8 LEDs can output 15,000 lumens, that's an outright lie, false advertising, unless those LEDs are mounted to copper, and cooled very well, they won't be able to push that much. They'll be lucky to push 12,000, I would say it's probably more like 3000-4000 lumens. The Convoy L6 would probably be brighter than that.
I have actually stopped buying stuff from Ebay, since I've had so many problems with defective and fake items from them. They sent me an XML when I paid for an XML2, and when I complained they gave me an excuse like "nobody else complained about this", so what? I'm supposed to accept the wrong LED because other people did?
I think Ebay is riddled with all the defective stuff that they can't sell anywhere else. It's like they hope you don't complain, and if you do, they give you a bunch of trouble hoping you'll just give up and let them keep your money, and throw their junk in the garbage. I got sick of that and started buying off of Gearbest and Aliexpress, they seem a lot better, and their products are the actual working ones that weren't labelled as defective.
If you're looking for a seriously powerful light, that's high quality and won't break down on you, check out the Convoy L6: Here's my review video on it - ruclips.net/video/h6KlvFASrQ4/видео.html (Don't forget to get the good batteries with it, Littokala 5000mAh)
A lot of the SkyRays and multi-LED lights are problematic, and the drivers burn out, they are just not made very well, and even if they're half the price, they're not really worth it, unless you're ready to do some major modifications to it, to make it better.
The no-name batteries are also crap too, they claim 6000mAh but are really 900mAh, and come dead, break after a couple cycles, or blow up when you try to use them.
You'll see in my description, that I recommend Convoy lights, and more expensive brands rather than the eBay flashlights, it's because it's worth the extra couple bucks to get a quality flashlight. If you need light, and your flashlight breaks, you'll realize it was worth it to pay the extra for the higher quality light.
Cheap $6 lights still do the trick, but just don't consider them as reliable.
I like the Convoy S2+, check that out if you're interested.
Cheers,
David.
I gotta get a sky rayking for trails, that was impressive.
Great review! I had no idea the bushes in Canada were so dangerous. ;)
+Christopher Notellin Thanks!! I don't think they actually are, don't be fooled by my Blair witch camera work, it's not so bad, but it was pretty dark in there, in between flashlights, it was pitch black. I'll be going back for the sequal, we'll be testing a 20W supercharged Convoy S2+!! Stay tuned!!
Great review. Wish you also posted an updated review as there are a bunch of new ones that came out. eg. Ebay's xhp 70s and xhp 90,etc
Hi, thanks! Glad you like it. I've been testing out the new Convoy and Sofirn lights. I saw those cheaper XHP70.2 lights, looks promising. Thanks for the heads up! Maybe I'll get one to run through the tests! Thanks for the great idea!
Cheers,
David.
@@DavidSunshine I've been seeing xhp90 o n ebay and aliexpress. Nobody seems to have reviews on those. You may get some views if you are the first to review and compare those ;)
@@stockriderman Thanks for the heads up on the XHP90.
I'll look into it!
Cheers,
David.
wow you really know your shit.. I had to comment on.. one of the Best reviews I've ever seen
Thanks man! I appreciate it! I wanted to talk about all the essential specifications and characteristics if LEDs, because that's how you'll decide on what light you need. Hope it was helpful and enjoyable! Cheers, David.
If you would recommend one or two of these for the main purpose of walking the dog in pitch black country trails?
Cheers, Fredrik
Hi, if you want the brightest, get the SkyRay King with 7 or 8 or 9 LEDs, XM-L2, with 4 x 3500mAh LG cells from gearbest, and you'll run about one to two hours depending on the driver of the light. That light may get hot after 5 minutes on high though, most lights will, even the WF-501b, so you'll really want to run them on med or low, that's why I would still recommend the SkyRay King, even on low it's gonna punch out a lot of light. If you don't want a big light, the WF-501b will work fine, I would still recommend getting a Panasonic 3400mAh cell(it's cheaper than the LG, and still gives you about 95% of the power, it's good for lower drain devices, whereas the LG is for higher current draws). You can also look at the Convoy S2+ at gearbest, it's a higher quality light, and costs double that of the WF-501b, but the flicker is at 18khz, so you won't see a strobic effect, but you may hear a whine. Can't get rid of that though.
Here is a link to a cheap SkyRay alternative, same quality, just different brand.
www.ebay.com/itm/181928189375?redirect=mobile
If you don't have a good charger, here's a really good one, the i4 is cheaper but doesn't have any read outs.
Nitecore D4 Li-ion NiCd NiMh LCD Smart Intelligent Battery Charger app.gearbest.com/chargers/pp_56674.html
The Panasonic 3400mAh protected cells have button tops which are required for the 8x flashlight to work, you can solder on blobs to unprotected cells too, it's on sale for $18 for 4 at gearbest.
If you're worried about bears or cougars, the 8x would certainly keep you safe, they would be blinded by the light, better than less light I assume.
If seeing brightly to the sides isn't a big deal, a single LED flashlight will work fine, the WF-501b or Convoy S2+.
Here is the WF-501B: www.ebay.com/itm/5-Modes-1800-Lumens-WF-501B-CREE-XM-L2-LED-Flashlight-Torch-Use-18650-Battery-/321192382030?hash=item4ac88ece4e:g:tocAAOSwQItT8cZ4
Here is the Convoy S2+ in blue: www.gearbest.com/led-flashlights/pp_232308.html
It's on sale for only $13 so that's a pretty good deal.
And here is a securitying alternate to the convoy, I don't know if it's of high quality construction though, it's cheaper though:
www.ebay.com/itm/700-Lumens-XM-L2-U2-1A-LED-5-Modes-Tactical-LED-Flashlight-Torch-with-Rope-/361294069371?hash=item541ecdfe7b:g:1wkAAOSwpDdVdVy8
What color temperature do you like? The safe color is 4000K, natural white, but some people like more blue(cool white, 5000k+), and I like warm white like incandescent lighting, 2700-3000K.
If you get that, you could get the SoShine E4S from gearbest too, two 18650 or more, and use that to charge the batteries, and when you don't need the light, use that as a USB charger with 6800mAh of true capacity. Or with just one cell if your using your light, you'll also have a spare battery if you go camping and need more light time. The 18650s are all interchangeable so you can do that. (E4S and Convoy accept protected and unprotected cells no problem, other devices don't, and some chargers need power to activate them before you can use them).
Hope that's enough information for you to make an educated purchase!
Cheers,
David.
Where is the mode memory located? The button or the led chip?
It's located in the LED driver. These can be replaced with better ones. I have a modification video for the Convoy S2+ that shows this process.
Cheers!
David.
@@DavidSunshine thank you so much your tha bomb😸
@@incubusfamiliar Anytime! Here's the video if you're interested ruclips.net/video/Uzjv_zwr8Ng/видео.html
Any updated Cree LED's since the video was posted?
Yes, the Cree XP-L2 is out now, since mid 2016, and a few lights use it, but most use the older XPL though, it has wires inside that burn out so it can only handle about 6A.
The XP-L2 doesn't have wires, so it can handle 9A no problem if you keep it cool. It burns out over 9.5A though, even on a copper Sinkpad II in my S2+ which has a big reinforced copper pill. I would keep it at ~8A for this reason, using AMC 7135 380mA current limiters.
I have an S2+ with an XP-L2 and it pulls 6-7A, and it runs fine as long as you turn it off after 1min, since it gets pretty hot after that, and will most certainly lead to LED/battery damage/failure.
If you're into modding, definitely try the XP-L2, I got mine from Mouser Electronics.
If you just want a good light with a good LED, the XPL is still great, and the XPL HI is already dedomed, so it makes a great thrower. If you want a good thrower, I'd check out the C8, here: tidd.ly/d7bf850b
The brightest bin is "V2 1A", but the warmest is "U3 7A", I prefer the U3 cuz I like warmer temperatures, but if output is the name of your game, V2 is the one to go with.
If you want a compact flashlight, the S2+ is the way to go, with it's XM-L2, that's also a great LED, and similar to the XPL.
Those are all compromises from the XP-L2 though, that is a rugged LED due to it's lack of wires which can be subjected to burning out. The XP-L2 has a dome however, which is tinted, and it can cause some discoloration throughout it's distribution, so that might be undesired.
There is also the XHP series, the XHP35 is great, and is used in the UT02, I have a review of that one, and it's pretty awesome, but I've put an XP-L2 in there, and it pushes double the lumens of the XHP35 since the boost driver was a limiter. It makes it a better thrower, even though it's a domed LED vs a dedomed LED, if I were to dedome the XP-L2, it would make it a way better thrower.
Hope that brings you up to speed! Let me know if you have any questions.
Cheers!
David.
I am thinking to get the WF 501b or should I get the WF 502b
Pig Gaming Get the Convoy S2+, it's way better than the WF flashlights in quality and function. The convoy store on aliexpress can give you the biscotti firmware driver if you ask for it too, it's the best out right now cuz it has off time memory. If you can't find it, let me know if you want a link.
David Sunshine how many lumens is the convoy s2+? and thanks for fast reply:)
The S2+ is a true 1000 lumens. It's a linear regulated flashlight, so instead of pulling way too much current at the beginning it actually regulates it to 1000 lumens. The WF-50# have resistor based drivers so they vary quite a bit based on your battery's internal resistance. You can ask for less 7135s to reduce the current, with 8x 7135 it's 2.8A.
I have a review on it, I think it's linked on cards if you want.
I'd like the link. How do you make sure you are buying a flashlight with a XM-L2 instead of buying something and hoping that the seller isn't trying to trick you?
Hi,
Convoy on Aliexpress is run and owned by Simon, he won't trick you. He is well trusted among flashlight enthusiasts, and I've ordered about 8 flashlights from him. I have the Blue, Red, and Green S2+, they're great lights with XM-L2 LEDs. If you want a thrower though, you'll want the XP-L HI in the C8, it's bigger but it's a beast of a thrower. Below are the links:
Convoy C8 Clear: tidd.ly/db7a1a97
S2+ (Blue): tidd.ly/aca75cbb
S2+ (Red): tidd.ly/b84ddff9
S2+ (Green): tidd.ly/47727724
Tail Magnet: tidd.ly/c2e39084
Pocket Clip: tidd.ly/26c1dac3
Make sure you ask for the New Biscotti Driver for the S2+ lights. He already includes it with the C8, if you want to see the programming, check the C8 listing.
Also if you want the tail magnet and pocket clip, I recommend those, and they're linked as well.
There are good batteries to get too, let me know if you need a link to them.
Hope that helps.
Cheers,
David.
hey I finally got my light I had a question about the oring when the lens came out it looked like the oring was placed around the lens i cant seem to put it back around the lens , so when I screw the bezel back on i can see i tiny gap I dont know how the oring was originally placed
FreakzRitual If it's built the same, the o-ring actually is placed around the reflector, in the gap between the reflector and body. You gotta shove it in there then put the glass on. I'll take a look when I get home tho.
David Sunshine thank you I think it's the same
FreakzRitual You're welcome. Ya I think that'll keep it water resistant. It's not that water resistant but some rain will be fine. It's tricky cuz the o-ring actually stops water between three things, reflector, glass, and body. Tricky design.
FreakzRitual Hi, I checked mine out. Looks like the glass presses into the o-ring while it's around the reflector. If you have problems with yours, let me know and I can show more detail.
How do you like the light? Is it super bright?
Cheers,
David.
David Sunshine thanks I ended up figuring it out lol I had issues with that imagine me trying to mod it
I'm in the UK looking for wf-501b xm-l2 on eBay and Amazon and there's 100 different versions, some 800lms, 1000lms.. but can't find a single one that's 1800
John Michael Stock Hi,
If you're looking for a good 18650 flashlight, check out the Convoy S2+, it's the new benchmark in quality low priced flashlights. The WF-501B was good the years ago but there has been many new models added by many manufacturers since. Check out the zanflare F1 if you want a full featured USB chargeable light. Or the On The Road M3 if you want a compact EDC.
They got something for everything these days.
Cheers,
David.
Sorry if you addressed this and I missed it but how do you tell how many watts a light is producing or functioning at (whichever is the correct terminology)?
Hi David, I didn't discuss this, but that's a great question!! You can simply measure the battery voltage, then put the leads on the meter to the amp plug and switch it to amp function, then measure the amps by taking off the tail cap, and connecting the battery to the body through the meter, it'll measure the amps, multiply amps by voltage to find the power, however this method will measure the heat loss in the battery due to internal resistance, so that would be the true power consumption of the system. If you want to know the power delivery to the flashlight, excluding the power released in the battery, you could use a 130A RC power meter, and connect that to a 1S lithium cell, and put that to the flashlight, that'll be a much more difficult test to set up, but it'll give you a very accurate power reading for the driver and LED system. You also need to connect 12V to the meter to keep it running, 4.2V isn't enough.
If you need a cheap good multimeter, check out the VC97(aliexpress or something, Gearbest has some for $20 but they only do up to 10A, might be enough if you don't want to spend a little more) it's what I use to test my lights, it can do up to 20A, but you'll need to make your own thick wire gauge leads for testing at high currents.
Cheers,
David.
I'm looking for a tactical light to use on nightly neighborhood foot patrols. I usually need to light up 50-100 feet of a sidewalk. Any recommendations for a product that has the least amount of spill, won't heat up in my hand? I've been looking at the Fenix TX16 or TX22 but also seems like the Ultrafire Cree C8 seems like a great candidate as well.
Hi Chuck,
There are a couple options, I would personally use a SkyRay King 7 x XM-L2, running on medium or low mode so that it doesn't heat up, but it has the ability to go on high and provide massive amounts of light when you need it, stock it runs at 35W, so it's about as bright as a car's set of headlights. I wouldn't want to try it, but if a bear or cougar were to become a threat, that might be enough to scare them off. If you're looking for a lower powered light, I would go with the Convoy S2+ or the Convoy C8, I don't personally like the tight beam angle of the C8, since you limit your viewable angle, and limit your vision, but if you need the throw out to 300ft, it might be the way to go, however, I find that the beam angle of the S2+ to be appropriate most applications, while providing enough light output within the beam to be useful at distances up to 150ft. The useful distance is completely dependent on the color of the object being tracked and the background lighting tho, so it's a good idea to have more light than you need.
For me, I would carry the SkyRay first, if not the Convoy s2+, then the C8. The problem I see with the C8 is that it's only useful for long distances, since at short distances it will glare and reduce your peripheral vision, the Convoy doesn't do that, but will throw enough light, and have the punch to see distant objects. If you can carry a large SkyRay though, it would give you the best of short and long. Pair that with the 3400 or 3500mAh cells and you'll run all night(on medium or low). I have videos up on all those things, check the cards and you'll see links to them. Cheers! David.
Sorry, I don't have the SkyRay in the cards yet. ruclips.net/video/xIL4AbgLTts/видео.html
+David Sunshine Thanks for the detailed feedback and awesome detailed review. I'm leaning toward a smaller light as I often need to conceal it in my jacket pocket, so the Convoy S2 or C8 sounds like the way to go. Any thoughts on the new Cree XLamp XP-L? www.cree.com/LED-Components-and-Modules/Products/XLamp/Discrete-Directional/XLamp-XPL
It looks like Fenix's PD32 2016 is using it: www.fenixlight.com/ProductMore.aspx?id=2195
+Chuck Spidell You're welcome. Then certainly you'll want the Convoy S2+. Make sure you don't get the Convoy S2, it's actually the older version of the flashlight, the S2+ has some upgrades, the major one being that it is a little longer so that it can use protected cells as well.
The C8 has a large head, so it's more bulky and isn't really a pocket flashlight for that reason, it's almost as bulky as the SkyRay King since the diameter of the head is so similar.
The Convoy S2+ is one of the few lights that has a head size the same as the body, it makes it much nicer to carry in the front pockets of the 5.11 Stryke pants. The WF-501B is a good light for $6, but it puts out 3/4 the light of the Convoy since it's reflector is less reflective. The Convoy's reflector is made better and that is reflected in the higher output of light.
I actually haven't heard of the XP-L, goes to show that if you don't keep up with technology every week, you fall behind!
I just took a look at it though, and it looks promising. They state 200 lumens/watt at 350mA, and 161 lumens/watt at 3A, that's great, and will push the light output of flashlights even further.
Another great thing is that the footprint is 3.5x3.5mm instead of 5x5mm, the smaller a light source, the better it lends itself to focusing, and being blinding and causing glare(good for self defense), but not as a street light. Unfortunately, it'll be harder to cool with a smaller footprint, so might not lend itself to overdriving like the XM-L2, and may lead to lower lifespan, but that's not an issue for everyone.
I haven't started testing the XP-L lights, but by the sounds of it, it's a great LED, promising of good things. I hope that they make a Convoy S2+ style light using it, they'll have to update the reflector, but the drivers can all be the same.
The PD32 only puts out 900 lumens, so I think they're driving it at ~2.5A maybe? You'll still get more light output from the Convoy S2+ at this time. I guess there's no huge advantage to getting an XP-L right now.
If you'll be pocketing the light, the Convoy would be my preference, since it's the same shape throughout, it slides in easily. PD32 doesn't look bad either, basically the same size and shape, and if you want the side switch it's the way to go, but will cost you $60 instead of $14.
Any thoughts on the Skyray's with more LEDs? ex the 12x?
Bill C I think it would be good if they actually put in real XML LEDs, but a lot are fake, and only good for 5w, that's why I recommend XML2 with 7x, they are real Cree LEDs, so you get better output and can increase the power to them to get even more output.
The quality of light is also better.
With more LEDs you'll get smaller reflectors, and that results in less throw, and throw is important for a flashlight if you want to view further away.
If you can find real XML LEDs then it might be good to have 12, if you're on with more of a flood light though.
Hey sunshine,Noticed the wf 501b said ultrafire but there are knockoffs out there using their name.Which one did you review?
Hi, good question.
I don't know if it's a counterfeit item, I got it from eBay China so chances are, it's fake lol. With that said, the XML2 LED seems real, and ran at 15W no problem when I hooked up a good 4.2V source to it. With that said, the driver pulled 15W, so it's a resistance based limit. If you throw in a good battery, it will also pull 15W and reduce as the voltage reduces. Is that how it's supposed to work?
FYI:
I use linear regulators now, Convoy just release a new driver for $3.50, with 8x7135, so 2.8A, I think that's the best driver to use for any single LED flashlight, or the 105D, I pulled the stock driver from this and won't be using it anymore, it's basically useless. I don't use the 501B anymore, the Convoy lights are way better quality too, check the description for some updates if interested too.
Cheers!
David.
Thanks for an excellent review, is the Securitying is the
same output as the skyray king that you review? It is hard to get skyray king in
Australia the only option is at eBay but I heard that there is a lot of fake.
Hi Jerry, you're welcome! I don't have the Securitying SkyRay, but I have some of their lights and they are genuine quality products, as long as you buy from the main Securitying user, you should be avoiding the garbage out there, also try gearbest and fasttech, they are great sources for good merchandise. Cheers, David.
This might be genuine pages.ebay.com/link/?nav=item.view&id=221989083571&alt=web
+David Sunshine Thanks David
+Jerry T You're welcome. Anytime.
Is the C8 better and brighter than the 501b?
+Rodrigo Alvergue Great question! Both use either the XML or XML2 LED, and similar drivers with current limiting resistors, it'll start off bright but drop off with the voltage drop. My WF501b actually pulled 15W on a full charge, so it put out 1760lumens peak, dropping quickly though. They will output the same, about 1000lumens average, but the C8 is larger and has a tighter beam, so if you want throw then go with the C8, for trail and outdoor use, the WF501b is better. But if you want to pay more for a 30% brighter light, go with the Convoy S2+, check out my video on it here ruclips.net/video/q2kW52HLk-U/видео.html The secret to its' output is the high quality reflector that it uses. There are only really three things that make a flashlight, Driver, Reflector, and LED. Battery too, but that's like fuel in a car, can't really count it as a part of the car. The cheap flashlights all use great LEDs, but where they fail is the driver and reflector(optics). The convoy costs more but they throw a good driver and reflector on there. So if you're in search for the highest output, there you go! and put good fuel in there, the LG 3500mAh.
are the lumens that you said the flashlights are actually that many lumens?
Joshua Huang Hi, no, there lumens I stated are a lie, sort of. The peak lumen output could be high like I said, but sustained lumen output will be more realistically 800-1000 lumens.
In this latest video I show the 1300 lumen UT02 and explain a little about efficacy and wattage. Check it out if you're interested, a good rule is that one XML will put out about 600-1000 lumens depending on how much current the driver throws at it. Zoomable lights are usually at 600 lumens, the reflector based lights can push 800-900 lumens usually.
Hope that helps! ruclips.net/video/tnJjGxKwfiU/видео.html
Check out my s2+ video or F1 video too, those are great lights too.
Cheers,
David.
If I put an 18650 battery in, will the driver limit the output to less wattage?
For the WF-501B: Yes, the driver has a current limiting resistor, so it'll restrict the current, but since it's just a resistor, it'll vary with voltage and internal resistance of the battery, so if you put in a battery with a very low internal resistant, the current will be increased, if it's fully charged to 4.2V, it'll pull even more current, as that voltage goes down, the current goes down.
Lights like the Convoy S2+, have AMC 7135 current limiters, and if you have 8 x 350mA, you'll have 2.8A, if you have 8 x 380mA, it'll be 3.04A. Some AMC 7135 are 380mA, others 350mA. Check out the blue one here: tidd.ly/db7a1a97
I recommend that you ask for the Biscotti driver, it's an additional $1.50 upgrade, but the on-time firmware is amazing, and it's programmable. The firmware operation is shown here: tidd.ly/817a2be4
To truly get 1000 lumens, you'll want a driver that pushes more amps, 2.8A is fine, but 3.04A is better, however I'm not sure who has the drivers with 380mA 7135s on there. You can buy them separately and add them yourself if you're into modding.
If you want the most powerful light, you can buy a MOSFET and add it, or buy a driver with a mosfet and swap that in, and then add an XP-L2, it's the best LED right now, and just came out last year. But it gets hot very quickly since it's running at 20+W, and may be pushing out over 2000 lumens(Real lumens). I haven't done all the testing, but my suspicions from initial testing indicate over 2000 lumens.
If you want to avoid all that modding, you can buy larger lights with 3800 lumens, like the Convoy L6. My review video is here: ruclips.net/video/h6KlvFASrQ4/видео.html
I'll link to my videos, which have a bunch of information, but if you got any specific questions, please do not hesitate to ask! It's quicker than going through the videos, but they're there if you want to watch them too.
If you want a compact thrower with a USB charge port, the UT02 is great, review here: ruclips.net/video/tnJjGxKwfiU/видео.html
Here's my review for the Convoy S2+: ruclips.net/video/q2kW52HLk-U/видео.html
And if you want a small every day carry, the M3 fits the bill: And it's a true 900-1000 lumens, it's bonkers bright!
ruclips.net/video/_wfSUfMFCVo/видео.html
Another great light, similar to the S2+, but 1240 true lumens, is the zanflare F1, here's my review here: ruclips.net/video/RNxiwvHCEdY/видео.html
After skimming the information there, you should have a great understanding of flashlights, lumens, and what to expect from different lights. The UT02 is the newest video, so it has the most up-to-date graphs.
I have other mod videos as well, I think those videos has links to those if you're interested.
Cheers!
David.
+yamahaevo Hi, yup, I have a lux meter, but it doesn't really tell you much, which is why I didn't talk about it. I did do some testing with it, and below are my findings:
By checking the hot spot of the lights, the C8 has a higher lux than the WF-501B right in the center, but the WF-501B has higher light levels to the wider portions of the distribution, good for trails as it will help with peripheral visibility.
I can also tell you that the SkyRay King 7x produced the same lux levels as direct sunlight in the summer at about 2PM, at distances of 2.5m, so it can really blind someone if they're coming at you at night time, maybe even in the daytime.
I didn't do any testing of how well the lights light up a room, but that will just be directly proportional to their light output. For instance, if I light up a room with the WF-501B, it will provide about 25lux, if I use the SkyRay king, it'll provide about 7 times that since it outputs 7 times more light, so ~175lux, as would be expected.
Hope that is the sort of information you're looking for.
Cheers,
David.
Really good video, thanks man.
piratapan Thanks man! Glad you liked it. Cheers,
David.
Hi David I have a question, did you have any problems with shipping lithium batteries in most countries sending batteries aren't allowed , I am interested in buy the S2 and one Panasonic 18650 battery from gearbest and I don't want to lose my packet if the shipping service can't send me Lithium batteries
Hi,
I didn't have a problem getting them in Canada, I did lose one shipment, but Gearbest refunded me for that. The rest of the batteries, I got no problem.
I think the shipping companies have been limiting it to 4 x 18650 max, so if you keep your order at 4 or less you should be fine.
I'd get the S2+ and the Sanyo 3500mAh battery. You can get the Panasonic 3400mAh as well, it's cheaper, but definitely not as good, it has a high internal resistance and a little less power.
Look to pick up WF-UltraFire-12W-cree-XPE-2000Lm-LED-Zoomable-Mini-Flashlight-Torch-18650-US But the link is no good. Who should i buy from so I get a good seller and light with memory . As you said these are the best. Thx Pat
+fireofficer001 Hi, the WF-501B is the best light under $10 for sure, but recently the drivers going into them are garbage ones without memory, and it doesn't look like any ebayers indicate memory. Therefore I would recommend buying a Convoy S2+, which has on time memory, Gearbest has the best prices right now. The S2+ is the best light between $10-$20. Here's my review on the Convoy, if you want to check it out. ruclips.net/video/q2kW52HLk-U/видео.html
You can swap out the driver of the WF-501B, which I have done, but the driver is $3, so you might as well pay the extra and get the S2+.
Cheers,
David.
Great review bro, you really seem to know your shit,, smart with the diffuser 😀
Thanks! I've been a flashlightholic since a kid, since my first Duracell 2 x AA 3V flashlight, kicking out 20 lumens, lol. Ya the diffuser from the old LCD is a good find, it's helpful as a video light. The efficiency is high since they don't want to waste power and light in an iPhone too, so that's good for us. Hope it helps somebody who needs diffused light, for videpgraphy or just working on the car. Cheers, David.
Hey I'm from the UK and wondering if you could help me pick a good handheld flashlight that I can mount on my mountain bike for night ride trails. I need a very powerful one with good throw. preferably one with 18550 or the 26550 whichever is better for good power output as I want to carry multiple batteries and just change on the go. Iv bought one from ebay and have it on my bike but its not very bright and doesn't really last long :/
Hi,
I don't actually use a bike light, but I have seen the Lumintop B01 (www.aliexpress.com/item/33046014882.html) that looks like a great 21700 light(can use 18650s as well). Small and compact, but has the distribution required for a good bike light. Check it out. Lumintop makes great quality lights, at a decent price. It won't be super bright, only 800 lumens, but it throws the light where you need it, and you won't need to carry a lot of batteries with you.
If you want to use a high output light, it'll be symmetrical and throw half the light up in the air, glaring a lot of people/drivers, so not really recommended, but it will certainly help people see you coming, so it's safer in that regard.
This one is probably around 2000-3000 lumens assuming each LED gives less than 1000 lumens (www.aliexpress.com/item/32508831256.html), it's a nice TIR optic so will have a good distribution, throwing light further to your peripheral view than a reflector based light. At 2000 lumens, you're running 20watts, so 4 x 18650s 3000mAh should give you about 2.2 hours runtime. You won't want to be pushing much more than 2000 lumens, otherwise your runtime takes a big hit and you'll need to carry like 8 or 12 x 18650s, swapping every 40 minutes. Aside from blinding everyone, you'll be transporting a lot of batteries. This is why the lower lumen Lumintop B01 makes more sense with it's reflector that pushes light down onto the road.
The battery pack above is custom, but you can buy 8.4V packs that you can put 18650s in: www.aliexpress.com/item/4001234028038.html or 26650/18650 in this www.aliexpress.com/item/1005001587290448.html
Then just buy the head: www.aliexpress.com/item/32509072469.html
Hope that helps.
Cheers!
David.
Hey can you give me a link where to buy batteries for the skyray king pls
Hi,
I purchased the Panasonic 3400mAh protected cells, and I think that's the best for the SkyRay since the protection circuit will keep you safe from any shorts or high temperatures. They are quality cells and capable of delivering high amperage.
Liitokala distributes these, and they're genuine Panasonic 3400mAh cells, I've tested them and they're high performing. They are considerably cheaper than the Sanyo 3500mAh or LG 3500mAh, and perform similarly in real life tests.
tidd.ly/955b737d
Cheers!
David.
David Sunshine thank you
Anytime!
They delivered my cells to Canada, but apparently now they don't deliver here, that's too bad, I guess I'll have to find a new source if I need more. Hopefully they deliver to you.
Cheers!
David.
Nice review. Good to know what to watch out for.
I don't think that you want "efficacy" but rather "efficiency": the ratio of one thing to another, in this case lumens per watt.
Keep up the good work.
+davecc0000 Thanks man!
I thought exactly the same thing, and I still kinda think it should be efficiency as well. But for whatever reason, I don't know, they call it efficacy, for the lumens per watt unit.
Check it out, they call it luminous efficacy, and the Cree website states efficacy as 116 lumens/watt for the XM-L2.
Wiki too, so I just call it efficacy cuz they all do. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luminous_efficacy
Maybe we're the only 2 people who think it should be efficiency? I don't know sometimes. lol
but have you tested theses for 6-8 hours for at least three days a week for a year
No I have not. But you're right, the"cheap" lights do break quickly, way too soon. Great point! So if you want to pay a little more, I would recommend spending a little more and purchasing higher quality lights, I've listed some recommendations in the description. In fact, I've been carrying the S2+ and on the road M3 for a few years, and they are both standing up to the beating!
So I can say those are quality lights.
Cheers,
David.
David Sunshine no your wrong the expensive one fuck up a lot to losing faith in flashlight companies and read countless reviews many flashlights fail I need a top notch I work at night club so use all night ....
David Sunshine lofl if anything cheaper ones seem to last longer for me pssh
Pls help me, I just need a good quality flash light for the backpack that is reliable. I have no idea what model to buy or from where. I see some cheap but high lumen led on eBay but sounds too good to be true. I am in Australia btw. Loved your video and your knowledge is amazing. Ty for sharing your knowledge!
Hi,
Sure thing.
Depending on what you're looking for, there are different options out there for you.
If you want a high lumen output compact soda-can sized flashlight, the Olight X7R Marauder is great, at 12,000 lumens, it's enough light for anybody. It's very good quality and has a lot of safety features, and is made of the best materials and parts.
If you want to pay less, but still want decent quality, the Convoy L6, Convoy C8, Convoy S2+, Zanflare F1, UTorch UT02, UTorch UT01, On the Road M3, and DQG 26650 are great flashlights with good quality for relatively low prices.
The Ebay flashlights that have high ratings are exactly what you've concluded, they're too good to be true, and are 99% of the time, fake, and not worth your time or money. The quality is very poor, and can be expected to fail on you, and disappoint you.
The Convoy L6 is a little too big for you to put in your backpack, but it's a great 3800 lumen light.
All the other lights I listed are suitable for your backpack, they just have different functions. Each one is worth every penny, so it's really up to your needs and preference. I'll list it based on my preference from most preferred to least. I have reviews on the UT01, UT02, F1, M3, S2+, and L6 if you wanta check them out, but not the C8 or DQG yet. The DQG is like the SkyRay King, you can check out all the beam shots here, so you get a good understanding of what each flashlight can do, and then you can choose the one you want based on your needs: ruclips.net/video/82sL-KGqhDA/видео.htmlm7s
#1.) UTorch UT01: It pushes out 800 lumens peak, so is a powerful light. This light uses a 14500, but can also use AA batteries, so if my battery is dead, and I need more runtime, I can easily get some AA's and keep going. You'll want to buy a good Sanyo 14500 battery for this one, but it's not necessary, a good NiMH AA is great too, and gives a good 500 lumens, it doesn't look that much less than 800 lumens.
#2.) On the Road M3: It pushes out 800-920 lumens, depending on color temperature, but is similar to the UT01, unfortunately it uses a 16340, so although it's a great EDC, it can't use AA batteries, you'll have to recharge it or find an expensive CR123A to keep going. But if that's not a big issue for you, it's a great kit, and comes in a complete kit with battery/charger/cable/carry case for a good price. It has a magnetic tail clip, making it very useful for fixing the car, or mounting somewhere to give you handsfree light (The UT01 doesn't have this, you'll have to glue a magnet to the tail yourself.)
#3.) Zanflare F1: This pushes out 1240 lumens. It's a larger light that uses an 18650, so it'll give you more runtime than the UT01 and M3, but it is heavier/bigger. It has a micro USB charge port, so you can keep it charged up no problem. It can't be used when charging, so you'll have to plan ahead. You'll need to buy a good 18650 for this flashlight. The Panasonic 3400mAh is a great battery.
#4.) Convoy S2+: This is another great light, with about 900-1000 lumens of output, and uses the 18650 like the F1. It doesn't have a micro USB charge port, but other than that it's a great compact flashlight. You'll need to buy a good 18650 for this one too, and have a separate 18650 charger.
#5.) Convoy C8: this is like the S2+, but it's more of a thrower, and has a larger head. If you want a good thrower, this may be your #1 flashlight. If you need to throw light really far away to see into the distance, this is a great option.
#6.) UTorch UT02: This is similar to the C8, but larger, heavier, and an even better thrower. It pushes out 1300 lumens, and uses a larger 26650 battery. It also has a micro USB charge port, so like the F1, it'll be easy to keep charged. You'll want to buy a good Littokala 26650 5000mAh battery for this one.
#7.) DQG Tiny 26650: This is a Tiny light, as the name suggests, but it throws out around 3000 lumens with a 90 second turbo timer. It gets hot fast, but if you're looking for massive amounts of light from a small package, this is the one to go with. Great pack light in my opinion, you can light up an entire field with the DQG 26650.
#8.) Convoy L6: This is a huge 3800 lumen light. I don't think you'll want to carry it around in a back pack, it's more of a light for walking the dog, where coyotes might attack you and you need to blind them. You'll need to buy 2 x 26650s and a charger to run this light, it doesn't come in a complete kit with everything you need, which I find strange. They should really start doing that.
Hope that gives you a good summary of the lights, if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask.
Hope that helps!
Cheers!
David.
David Sunshine u are so helpful! Ty so much
You're welcome! Glad to help!
Thank you for this review!
+No google no. You're welcome! Hope it helped!
BTW, I didn't review it in this, but I got a new light, the Convoy S2+, if you want to spend a little more, check it out, I think it's worth it. ruclips.net/video/q2kW52HLk-U/видео.html
+David Sunshine Oh damn. I already ordered the skyray king knockoff. And the headlamp you recommended that looked like a better fit.
I'm not a flashlight guy. But wanted a good deal for a nice flashlight. People like you are what makes RUclips gold. Enthusiasts that spread your insights. Btw you should open up an online store. Or use affiliate codes for amazon or equivalent.
+No google no. That's ok,, the Convoy S2+ isn't a replacement for the SkyRay king, it's good as a backup light if you go camping/hiking or if the power goes out though. Can't have enough lights!
The Convoy does cost a little more, so it comes at a premium, the WF-501B is still a good deal, and less than half the price of the Convoy. It's all personal preference too, not everyone wants different color temperature or different driver options, or even faster PWM dimming. You can always swap out the LED or driver if you want different color or options. I've upgraded the LED and driver on my WF-501B, I put in a warm white LED, and the driver gives it some better mode options(I put in the Nanjg 105D 8x7135 from fasttech), and makes the PWM dimming faster at 18kHz. It's pretty easy to do if you're handy with a soldering iron. I was thinking about making a video about the upgrades.
What type of color temperature do you like? I like the color of an incandescent light, it's like the old halogen maglights.
Thanks for the encouraging comments, that's exactly why I make the videos, to share the knowledge and things I've learned along the way, always glad to help out!
Thank you for the suggestions too, I'll definitely look into it.
Cheers!
David.
Hello, I want to buy Lumitact g700. Is it a good brand and good product? If not, can you give me a suggestion which is having same feature like g700? Thanks!
Hi, the Lumitact G700 is a 600 lumen flashlight, zoomable type, worth about $4 or less, not worth any more than that. A flashlight that's similar to it, would be this one from gearbest: tidd.ly/5d0ff488 for $3.41, you get a good zoomable flashlight.
Below are some videos of lights I recommend, easier to show you than tell you about them here, links are handy in the description if you want to check out my links, thanks in advance!
But if you want a quality light that has a nice reflector and good distribution, check out the Convoy S2+, here is my video about it: ruclips.net/video/q2kW52HLk-U/видео.html
If you dont't have an 18650 battery or charger, you could get a complete kit with a small every day carry flashlight that is so small you won't even know you have it with it, but when you need it, it'll punch out 1000 lumens easily, check out the video here: ruclips.net/video/_wfSUfMFCVo/видео.html
Hope that helps!
Cheers,
David.
David Sunshine thanks for you explanation 😊very useful for me
You're welcome, let us know what flashlight you end up getting. Both of those lights are great, and I use them all the time.
Nice Job.
+FRED ANDERSON Thanks Fred! Much appreciated.
Well done and thank you!
My pleasure! Thank you!
I have a SkyRay King with xml-3Leds and with 4 Leds...the one with 3 Leds is best...most throw and also many spill..^^
Nice. Are the reflectors smaller in the 4X? It gets truncated a bit but I didn't think it was too much.
Heyy Im Thinking About Getting A Good EBay Flash Light But I Need One That's Really Bright , Not Too Expensive & Good For Hunting Rabbits Which Would You Recommend? Thanks For The Video Tho!
Hi, for hunting you should spend more. Try the Convoy S2+(similar distribution to the WF-501b, maybe a little more wide) from gearbest. If that's too much, go with the WF-501b for close range, and C8 for longer distance(since it has a tighter spot). You can get them from Gearbest to make sure they are high quality and not some fake Cree LEDs. Some ebayers with low reputation will sell fake garbage for a cheaper price. You can mount them to a weaver rail with 1" scope mount rings, the WF-501b actually can be purchased complete with a momentary switch and a ring if that's what you want. Hope that helps, Cheers.
Something like this. vi.raptor.ebaydesc.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItemDescV4&item=261950932134&category=106974&pm=1&ds=0&t=1448415868538 Good for a 20mm weaver rail. You can also get them with barrel mounts if you're using a shotgun.
But if you really want to light up the field and blind them rabbits in their tracks, get the 7x XML headlight, that will be super bright, and won't need any mounts to the rifle. It usually comes with a pack, but I would rather use my own 18650 cells, as I could use the LG 3500mAh cells(best on the market).
Have them all multiples of some...anad other lights... ;)
Haha nice man!! Do you have the Convoy L6, S2+ and the Clear C8 with new firmware? They are the new players in the house and destroy these lights in every way lol.
this one not but I just ordered the Convoy C8 LED Flashlight - U6 3A BLACK with.. Cree XPL H1 U6 3A 993Lm 7135 x 8 Driver 2 Group Modes Memory Function...and...I have some "VN" lights too if you know them?Grtzz bro.. ;)
Nice! The XPL HI will make it a throwing beast. That's a good driver too. Convoy recently released a new driver with firmware, I'll have to test it to see how well it with though. Might suck, who knows.
I haven't heard of the VN lights, are they as good an well priced as the Convoy lights?
1800 lumen for the first one ?
Good question! It might peak at that for a second, then it'll drop to something reasonable like 1100 lumens. Nominally I would say it's 1000 lumens, it's a FET driver so it isn't constant, is varying with the voltage.
It's better to get a constant current driver, like a Convoy S2+.
If you want a good FET flashlight with integrated micro USB charger port, try out the Zanflare F1, someone got it if AliExpress for about $15!
Cheers!
David.
thank you for the review
Thug9030 You're welcome! There's a new light, the Convoy S2+, check out my review of it from the cards if you want a good light.
wow you are so through! thank you.
Thank you! Anytime my friend.
Enjoy!
Be careful. A lot of the flashlights on eBay advertise Cree as the LED and when I recieved it, it was NOT a Cree but a knockoff. Also, component and build reliability comes with the more expensive versions. I have has numerous button failures on my eBay flashlights. But my 9 year old Streamlight Stinger still works.
Ya I know what you mean. I had a button go flaky, I took it apart and cleaned it to make it work, worked fine after that, but the quality is just not there.
I've been using the Convoy flashlights, S2+ is good, C8, L2 and L6 are all good as well. Even the cheap SkyRay King's are well made for a relatively low price. The WF-501B is good for a $6 flashlight, but it's nothing compared to a more expensive Convoy S2+ at $12.98, the Convoy is way better quality.
I haven't received any fake XML LEDs, but they have shipped me XML when it was listed as XML2, they said nobody else complained! I don't care, I paid for XML2, so I wanted XML2.
What do the fake LED's look like, if you don't mind sending me a picture that would be awesome, I'm curious, davidsunshine867@gmail.com.
I also recently got the On the Road M3, it's amazing, as powerful as the Convoy S2+, but with just a 16340 battery!(it's a very high performance battery, and they use a high efficacy XML2 LED), good reflector, AR coated lens.
Cheers,
David.
i bet they don't put out as much light as advertised though, for instance that 8500lm may be more like 1000-2000 if that. The smaller ones probably more accurate
You are 100% correct, they don't put out as much as they state. The SkyRay King rated for 8500 lumens actually puts out half if you're lucky, so ya more like 2000 lumens out the front, that would be a conservative value, since you need to take into account reflector efficiency losses.
But 7 x XML2 LEDs are more than capable of outputting 8500 lumens if you highly modify the SkyRay King, add cooling, add 2 additional mosfets, and drive it hard with very good batteries, like the LG HG2 or MJ1s, I've tried it and it pulled over 85W, at 116 lumens per watt, or even conservatively 100 lumens per what, that's 8500 lumens output from the LEDs, with reflector losses it could be 8000 lumens or so. They say it's 116 lumens per what, with 170 lumens per what (based on binning), so with the right bin, you could even get 85*170=14450 lumens of output, but you'd have to get the best LEDs that they produce, and they don't make many of those. So it's safe to say the efficacy is 100 lumens per watt.
As for the WF-501B, if it's putting 15W and over 3A to the LED, at 116 lumens per watt, it's 15x116 = 1740 lumens from the LED, the reflector could have losses, so safely say 1500 lumens.
You can check out the Cree website for more details: www.cree.com/LED-Components-and-Modules/Products/XLamp/Discrete-Directional/XLamp-XML2
There's also lumen depreciation, after using the LED for so many hours, it'll reduce to 80% output, so it's brightest on day 1.
For them to say the flashlight is 2000 lumens though, is a complete lie if it's a single XML2 LED, they run at about 1000 lumens if you drive them fully. They can be overdriven hard, but you need to put it on a copper SinkPad II pad, and I've done that before and pushed 5.2A to it, 20W+, that may make it push out over 2000 lumens, but you need a good driver, a good battery, and monster cooling for that to work properly. LOL. You can see that here if you like: ruclips.net/video/Uzjv_zwr8Ng/видео.html
Anyways, thank you for the comment, it's very insightful!
Cheers,
David.
+David Sunshine your comment isninsightful, lol holy crap you wrote an essay, you know your stuff.
Lol sorry about the essay. You know your stuff too.
I just like to play around with LED flashlights, and push the limits, it's a cool technology and it's crazy they're getting better and better. I haven't even gotten into the 6V and 12V LED's yet, check them out, the XHP35, XHP50 and XHP70. If you build flashlights with those LEDs, they will be bonkers! Like an XHP70 in a Convoy S2+ could put out like 4000 lumens, true lumens too, not some fake Chinese 10,000 lumens, which is more like 2000 lumens. They just came out with the XHP series, they released the XHP35 recently, a TINY led that can output 1833 lumens they say. Imagine a key chain light putting out 2000 lumens(you can over drive them a bit, it'll get hot fast, but for 10 seconds I'm sure it's ok, if you use lots of copper).
rota cetle Yup. They should, but there's only so much people can do. Like you can report them on eBay, but eBay doesn't care much, they'll just refund you and make you return it, that just makes you waste your time to drive to the post office lol. So they pay, but only return shipping. It's too bad. They should get in more trouble. Like get fined.
I guess in a strange way they aren't false advertising. They are just taking advantage of how people assume, they put maybe something like "2000lm" for one light. They don't specifically say the flashlight will produce that, you could interpret it as they are telling you what that LED diode could output at it's best setup (not saying within that flashlight or from that battery, lol).
They even do this with the batteries, put mAh rating on them that are not really practical. You see at least the Japan and Korean brands of lithium batteries give you ratings for normal usage.
But the trustfire ones once again use a specific technicality. You know that if you draw current from a battery at a very small rate that you get more power out of it, so they put it in a test and draw a very small amount of current out of it and get the biggest number they can get.
Most of the trustfire 4000+mAh batteries are really in normal usage 1500mAh at best.
The best 18650 batteries for cheap are getting them out of a laptop battery. You will find legit Sony, Samsung, Panasonic etc cells in there that their rating is real.
I know because I use these myself and they are great.
Lol I wonder what someone in that building would’ve thought
Hahaha, ya. I didn't stick around to find out!
Pretty scholarly stuff.
Thanks David!
You stubbled across one of my first videos of this to type! I've done a bunch more reviews of various lights, worked my way up from a $12 convoy S2+ and $26 skyray king to some lights over $100.
Funny thing, the blue S2+ is still my favorite!
Cheers!
David.
Thanks Bro
Anytime man! I guess it depends how you hunt and what gun you use, are you using a .22LR? iron sights or scope? The headlight may not work that well since you'll need to readjust a bit when you aim, I'm sure you could get it figured out though. The XM-L2 is a bright LED, but a single LED flashlight will only be so bright, as you see in the video, the 7x really helps light up the entire forest, may be your best bet for hunting.
lol so xml2 is the best one the other is just better cause have 7 of them...
The Cree XML2 was the best at the time, but they've since come out with the XPL and XPL HI, those are the best single die LEDs, they also have the XHP series, which are multi-die LEDs, XHP stands for Extra High Power, and they are powerful. The Convoy L6 uses the XHP 70, and it's really powerful, 4000 lumens out of a single LED, so it's great for a tight beam angle and throw.
The 7 x XML2 is very powerful too, it can out put around 7000 lumens easily if you drive each LED to 3A, stock I think they drive them with enough current to put out 3500 lumens only.
I guess it depends on what you want.
***** you know any place i can buy a single led (i want it cheap lol) that outputs really a lot of light? (zoomable would be better too i think, they cooler) i see tons of them on ebay for like 5 euros... and i dont really trust them, they are too cheap to be true...
If you live in the US, you can buy Thorfire zoomable VG15 from Amazon (goo.gl/WbfCxv), you'll pay a little more but that's a quality zoomable, if that's what you're after.
You could pay a lot less for a low quality one from Aliexpress (tidd.ly/8c8a2b5f), and save a lot of money. It's similar to the zoomable I show in the video.
I don't like zoomables that much, when you zoom in, you only output 1/3 the amount of light, the other 2/3 is lost inside the flashlight, but in flood, they make a nice uniform distribution, so they are pretty cool.
I guess it depends on what you want. Check out the Convoy S2+ if you want a reflector type flashlight, it's actually a very well made light: ruclips.net/video/q2kW52HLk-U/видео.html I prefer reflector based lights over zoomables, but depends what you like.
Convoy just came out with a new firmware, that's off-time memory, and user programmable, you can turn on and off memory if you want too, so you can have it default to always on 100%, or default to moonlight all the time. Or memorize if you were on moonlight or high and it'll go back to that. You can even program it to only have 100% mode, so no low modes or blinky modes, just straight 100%, which is pretty cool. You can only get that from the Convoy store on Aliexpress, let me know if you want a link to it. When you order it from them, you just ask them to give you the new firmware(called Biscotti), and they'll give it to you, it's worth it I think.
That Skyray King honestly looks under 1000 lumens.
Lol, thank you for your honesty.
The SkyRay Kings are known for their crap quality, but the one I have actually has genuine Cree XM-L2's in there, so it produces quite a bit of light, probably 3000 lumens at least, based on how well it lit up the trail.
1000 lumens (like an S2+) wouldn't be able to light up that trail that well.
The newer SkyRays though, mostly have fake Cree LEDs in there, just some random garbage LED, so most SkyRay kings are probably producing a lot less light than they're supposed to.
An Ikea 1000 lumen GX53 bulb probably has a better chance at producing 3000 lumens than those SkyRays.
Cheers!
David.
I have a 900 lumen flashlight that would light up the trail really well actually. It's quite a thrower which is why I must have been thinking under 1000 lumens and it might also be the camera but if someone in real life thinks that, I guess I'll believe them.
Ya, your 900 lumen light might have a hotter hot spot, so it can throw really well. The SkyRay King is more of a flooder, so can't throw very well, but it can light up the entire field, so it's good if you need that type of light.
The camera isn't as sensitive as the human eye, so it looks a little darker in the video.
I've got a different camera now, so hopefully the videos turn out more realistic and are representative of what a human would see with the naked eye.
Cheers!
David.
Yea. My 900 lumen flashlight is a cheap thrower. It's the Thorfire C8s. You might be able to review it some time. It's a great light for its price.
there's no way that tiny light puts out 1800 lumens
+Andrew Kilner Hi Andrew, you know your stuff, and you're completely right, the out the front OTF lumens is NOT 1800 lumens, it can't be, and that's mainly due to the fact that the reflector is not a high efficiency reflector, and if I were to guess, loses 25% of the lumens right there, so if the LED were producing ~1800 lumens, it would be ~1350 lumens OTF.
Let me explain myself further, just to clarify:
With that said, when I tested the power draw of the flashlight using my 130A in-line energy meter, the WF-501B pulled 15.5W peak from a fully charged 4.20V cell, with the stock driver (it was basically a FET driver, with no linear current regulation at all, it just used the resistance of the system). With that said, if it uses a Cree XM-L2 LED, and the efficacy were 116 lumens/watt(This is the max of the series, and the actual LED efficacy may be less, I don't know what bin was in the WF-501B, but let's say it's an average of 116 lumens/watt, in reality it is probably less, but at least over 100 lumens/watt for the XM-L2), then that would be 15*116 lumens = 1798 lumens peak lumens. So the calculated lumen output of the LED is 1798 lumens. If we use 100 lumens/watt, it's still a good 1500 lumens, which is still pretty good amount for the $6 WF-501B.
Sure it's not exactly 1800 lumens, but the thing is pretty close. Closer than most ebay flashlights that pull 1.3A(Like the X800, and alike) and claim 2500 lumens, that's lucky to produce 600 lumens.
The thermal management and reflector quality of the WF-501B, but the XM-L2 in there is great, and I've been impressed by it. I soldered one onto a SinkPad II copper 16mm star, and have pushed a solid 5A through it for an hour without a problem, kept it cool with a copper CPU heat sink tho.
If you check out my Convoy Inferno video, you can see that the LED push running at peak over 20W, and hangs out at 19+W indefinitely, jump to 1m54s to see the actual bench test with a power meter:
ruclips.net/video/Uzjv_zwr8Ng/видео.htmlm54s
At 19.3W and 116 lm/W, it's calculated at 2239 lumens. I'm sure it has some system losses, but it's hard to say what that is, could say it's 2000 lumens only.
But your statement has great merit, with the stock aluminum pad, the LED would be on the verge of burning out if it were to push 1800 lumens, but I did see it run at that rating when testing. If you leave the WF-501B on, it gets very hot, so I know it's running close to the power rating of the Convoy S2+ with an 8x7135 driver.
Good comment, thanks for posting.
Cheers,
David.
have you seen this torch on ebay
25000LM SKYRAY 10 x CREE XM-L T6 LED
Looks like it may be even better
+Andrew Kilner I haven't tested that one out, but from what other users say, it's not well made, and the conductors may be so thin that it overheats and releases smoke. The LEDs may be counterfeit as well, and not real Cree LEDs, those are also only XML LEDs, so they won't put out as much light per watt as the XML2s. I recommend going with the newer XML2s as they can handle more current, and provide higher efficacy, which means more light for the amount of power you put into the system.
goo.gl/inwpWe
That's the 7x XML2 SkyRay I would buy, and you can get the LG3500mAh batteries from the same site.
Also, I would warn not to buy from EBay, my friend got a SkyRay a couple days ago and it was poorly made, the reflector wasn't even fastened to the LED board like mine was. I think they are really cutting corners to reduce production costs and maximize the bottom line. It's too bad. But Gearbest and fasttech have been selling good products, and they even state how many mAh they get out of the cells they sell. That's awesome because other sellers just sell 6000mAh cells that give you 900mAh. They won't even sell it if it does that, or they'll tell you if they do.
I should also speak on the lumen output, they say 25,000lm, but in reality, it'll pull about 10A max, which is about 40W initially, which only translates to 4000 lumens emitted, OTF is even less due to the reflector losses.
It can't do 25000lm, since that requires over 6.5A to each LED, and they would burn out at 4.5A or so. Lol. They are just blowing smoke. Don't believe what they list there.
Great review, thanks!
Top tip: The Convoy C8 AK-47 from Banggood is MUCH better than the Ultrafire version, plus you get a choice of LED tint and reflector. Well worth a few extra dollars, I like the warmer tints, colours look much nicer than with the neutral/cool tints. budgetlightforum.com/node/27531
I like the 18650 zoomable lights too, the best cheap pocket light for under $10 IMO. The tint is too blue, but otherwise a really good light.
+MrSimonj1970 Thanks for the comment and tip! I totally agree with you, if someone wants to pay a little more, the Convoy lights seem great, I haven't done a review of them, but they do look well built. The Convoy S2+ is probably what I would get, cuz I don't like the big reflector of the C8, but if you're after throw that's the way to go. I like the warmer color temperature too, personally I would get warm White, 2700K, with high color rendering and high R9 values, but that's just me. I want it to look like incandescent lighting. Natural White is probably what most people want. But then if you're after max brightness, the more blue the better, cool white at 6000K, or so. So there are options for everyone. And Ya, it's great convoy let's you choose the Driver and led. I think fasttech sells them, that is a good site with great products, everything I order from there has been well priced, and genuine. Definitely recommend them. Cheers!
because most flashlights break in less then month
Yup, I agree. Good point. If you want to spend a little more for higher quality lights, I suggest the ones in the description, cuz the quality is much better and they can take a beating.
My buddy who's a carpenter has been using the S2+ for a few years on the job and it's still shining brightly! A testiment to its quality.
Cheers,
David.
Wonder how many people got annoyed by the lights shinning through their windows
Lol, probably a lot!
These weren't very bright lights tho. Could barely light it up.
If I used a C8 or L6, or the UT02 thought, that'd give them something to be annoyed at haha
Lol still would have grabbed my attention lol
These flashlights are junk. Buy a Thrunite TN12, and you'll never buy a junk flashlight again. I've had mine for almost 3 years, and it still works like brand new. I use it every single day! I've dropped it from the roof of a 2 story home multiple times. I've run over it with a heavily loaded 18 wheeler. I've dropped it in the pool, in the lake, etc. It's still like new, and it's only like $40 now. I bought 4 new ones yesterday to keep around the house in case they ever quit making the damn things.
Yup, totally agree, these are all low quality lights compared to a Thrunites, Convoy or Zanflare, etc.
Don't buy any of these cheap knock off flashlights. Go with a reputable brand like olight, nitecore, fenix ect. You'll spend more up front but you'll actually get the advertised lumens and most have a great warranty. If you want a tiny light with great output check out the rovyvon aurora line. They're awesome tiny lights
It is not filming unless you are shooting film you mean recording video... Oh it is pronounced duh fusion not die fusion
Thank you for the corrections, I really appreciate it, as I always seek improvement, it's one of the enjoyments of life, lifelong learning as they say. In my future recordings, you will find these improvements. One user told me to make my text size compatible for all platforms, small or large screen, and I think that really improved my videos. If you have any other corrections please let me know, however numerous they are!
Have a great day.
Cheers,
David.