I love my S2+ and my S7 (and I already love the other S-models I’m planning to buy soon). My main issue is the lack of a lockout function, especially when using a lighted switch.

One solution is to use electrical tape on the threads of the tube (the white material), so the tube only makes electrical contact at the front when it is fully screwed down.

This way, I can reduce battery drain and prevent the lighted switch from continuously drawing power.

Cheers!

I think I’m slowly falling down the Convoy rabbit hole.

I started my collection journey with a S21e and didnt like it at all. The I figured Hanklights might be the way to go. Lately after some lurking I got into the 18350 tail switch shorties and started to appreciate Convoy.

I currently have a stainless steel S7 with SFT-25R in 5000K, a MAO S2+ with SFT-40 3000K, and recently added a T4 with SST20 4000K.
I’ll add a picture of the S2+.

Now I’d like to try something different, and I’m particularly interested in the B35AM. I’d prefer a Convoy host, but I’m open to other brands as well.

My favorite tint at the moment is the 3000K SFT-40 in my S2+. So I’m wondering: does the B35AM in 3000K look even better?

On the other hand, I’m also really curious about something completely different: a 6500K high-CRI B35AM. Does it actually look good? Is cold-white high CRI something you enjoy using, or does it just feel weird compared to warmer CCTs?

My current idea would therefore be:
B35AM 6500K or 3000K — basically going from one extreme to the other.

So, Convoy people: which B35AM host and CCT would you pick? And has anyone compared the 3000K and 6500K versions?

I took my new Weltool T8 Plus Tac (BB8 body, 18350 shorty) out tonight for some beam shots. My main goal was to compare it against my Emisar D1 with the Osram W1 (CSLNM1.TG). Since I was already out, I also brought my Emisar DA1K with the NTG50 4200K. The DA1K isn't really part of the comparison—it's simply there as a reference for a much floodier beam.

• Weltool T8 Plus Tac: 2,180 lm / 101,200 cd
• Emisar D1 (Osram W1): 900 lm / 112,000 cd
• Emisar DA1K (NTG50 4200K): 2,500 lm / 22,400 cd

The D1 has a tighter pencil-beam hotspot, that is slightly brighter. The T8's hotspot is significantly larger, making much better use of its additional lumen output while still maintaining excellent throw.

What surprised me most was the spill. Despite the T8 being the more tactical-oriented light, the D1 actually has the wider spill. You can clearly see this in the beamshots. My guess is that this comes down to reflector geometry. For the D1 I found the hotspot to be almost too small. At the same time, the wider spill lights up a large area in front of you that often isn't particularly helpful.

Although both lights have roughly the same bezel diameter, the T8's head is almost twice as long, resulting in a much deeper reflector and a more controlled beam. Ironically, despite running an 18350 cell, the T8 ends up being about the same overall length as the D1 because of that long head. In fact, I'd say the D1 is actually the more pocketable light.

The T8 strikes a balance that works much better for me. The hotspot is still intense enough to easily identify objects well beyond 100 meters, but it's large enough to provide context around the target. The more controlled spill also feels better suited to the light's intended tactical role.

The 85 m beam shots really show the differences in hotspot and spill, and they also demonstrate how the optional green filter changes the beam.

For the ~60 m shots, I also included the DA1K with the frosted optic, along with the T8 fitted with its diffuser.

The biggest surprise of the evening, though, wasn't the beam profile—it was thermal performance. I expected the DA1K to heat up quickly; it's basically a hot rod running at full output. What I didn't expect was how much faster the D1 got hot compared to the T8. Despite producing less than half the lumen output, the D1 reached uncomfortable temperatures much sooner, while the T8 stayed usable for noticeably longer. That honestly impressed me and adds a lot to the T8's real-world usability.

Overall impressions

After using all three back-to-back, I think each light has found its niche.

The Emisar D1 is probably the most "fun" light of the three. There's something satisfying about that incredibly tight W1 beam, and I genuinely like how compact it feels in hand. But if I'm honest, I struggle to find a practical use for it. The beam is so focused that, for me, it sacrifices too much overall usability.

The T8 Plus Tac delivers an impressive amount of light with a hotspot that's both intense and genuinely useful. It almost feels like it wants to blind everything in front of it, while still giving enough beam width to actually see what's happening around your point of interest.

As expected the DA1K is almost the complete opposite. Indoors it's fantastic—I love using it for inspecting buildings, lighting up an entire room, basement or shed. Outside, however, I find that beyond roughly 30–40 meters the bright foreground overwhelms the view and it becomes increasingly difficult to make out objects farther away. That's simply the trade-off of such a floody beam.

The obvious downside of the shorty T8 is runtime. An 18350 cell simply can't compete with an 18650 or 21700. For longer hikes or extended use I'd either carry a couple of spare 18350s or switch back to the full-size 21700 body.

Overall, I genuinely enjoy all three lights, and they each do something different. The T8 isn't the easiest light to EDC because of its oversized head, but I'm very happy I added it to the collection. It's just a really enjoyable light to use.

I'd be interested to hear whether your impressions match mine. What you use your throwers for and which characteristics are most important to you?

The second best thing that can happen to a flashlight enthusiast happened to me today. (We all know what the first one is: Blackout.)

My boss walked up to me, the known flashlight guy, and asked for my opinion on a flashlight he wants to buy for everyone (20 people) on our team. Right now he's leaning towards the Ledlenser P5R Core, but I think we could do better than that.

We're an engineering firm, and the lights will mainly be used for construction inspections. They'll see a lot of indoor use, checking details, and illuminating areas while taking photos.

The requirements in my opinion are roughly:

• Budget: around $50 per light
• USB-C charging
• Ui for normal humans
• Good sustained output rather than a super bright turbo that overheats after a minute
• Should comfortably run at a useful brightness for at least 15 minutes without becoming too hot to hold
• A floody beam is preferred over a throwy one since they're mostly used at close range indoors
• Personally, I'd love something using an 18650 or 18350 cell if possible

All points above a debatable

Most of my own collection consists of hot rods, so I'm not very familiar with practical work lights in this price range.

Help me convince my boss that there's a better option than a zoomable Ledlenser. What would you recommend?

Today, one of my long-awaited lights finally arrived: the Weltool T8 Plus Tac with the shorty tube.

My first impression is very positive. It feels great in hand, the knurling is excellent, and the build quality is exactly what I was hoping for. I’ve seen a lot of people complain about the tint, but honestly, I don’t find it nearly green enough to be off-putting.

It took me quite a while to decide which Weltool to buy because there really isn’t a perfect model. Some have relatively low output, some are simply too expensive (looking at the LEPs), and some have a UI that I’m not a fan of (the T8 being a good example). In the end, I decided to go for maximum LED performance and just treat it as a single-mode light.

So far, I’ve only had the chance to try it during the day, and I was a bit surprised that it only seems slightly brighter than my S7 Shorty with an SFT-25R. At close range, the hotspot also looks very similar. I’m looking forward to testing it properly tonight. Since I never measured my S7, I was expecting a bigger difference from a light that costs roughly six times as much—but we’ll see.

Regardless, I’m really happy with the form factor and the overall craftsmanship. The switch feels excellent, and the Thyrm SwitchBack fits perfectly (don’t worry, I’ll trim the clip a bit later).

I might post a longer-term review in a few months.

I am interested in you opinions.

I’ve been hanging around this community for about two years now, and I just wanted to say thank you to everybody.

Whether someone posts a $20 light or a grail torch, the responses are usually the same: helpful, knowledgeable, and genuinely enthusiastic. The amount of expertise shared here for free is incredible, and people seem far more interested in helping others enjoy the hobby than showing off what they know.

I love that we are international, this hobby is possible with a wide range of budgets and I can feel almost no status-thinking.

So thank you to everyone who answers questions, writes reviews, shares beamshots, posts comparisons, and helps newcomers find their first flashlight. Keep up what you are doing. Also thanks to the mods.

You make this my favorite communities on Reddit.
Greetings from Germany
Erik

Picture is my SOTC

🔦

I own this pair of Tecovas for over 2.5 years now and wear them very often. Yesterday I helped my wife give birth to my first daughter and those were the boots I wore during the labor.

Tecovas doesn’t get to much love here - probably fair enough - but these are my first, most worn and now special event cow boy boots.

Now it’s day after, wife and doughier are well and resting, and I sit on the balcony of the hospital and wanted to share this with the community.

What boots did you wear at a special occasion, planned or unplanned?

Since my son was born my wife asked me to wear one of my watches. For most of the time she wore the calculator Ca53W-1 and from time to time my f-91w.

Now for the birth of our daughter I want to gift here a casio that fits her needs:
- zero maintaining necessary,
- can be covered in paint and bumped against everything without breaking down,
-color: white, rose or clear,
- digital only

Since I can’t find a models that fits right I am searching for ideas. I thought about a baby-g maybe.

What are your thoughts?

My essentials in the picture above. I like to carry a folding knife or small fixed blade as well, but it’s not legal to carry where I live.

- Notebook
- Leather Cardholder
- SAK in an etsy leather sheath. Not sure about the model, but is has the normal and the electrician blade.
- Rotpunkt pencil
- iPhone 11 PM
- Convoy S7 shorty w/ SFT-25R
- Bic lighter wrapped in tape
- Seiko Turtle on an uncle president strap

Front left pocket: Notebook, wallet and flashlight
Front right pocket: keys, lighter (bigger knife)
Phone goes into one of the backpackers
SAK is on the belt at 8 o‘clock
Watch goes on the wrist ;)

I first heard about mules about six months after joining this sub. At first, I questioned their practicality, but at the same time I was fascinated by the idea. After a fair bit of lurking, I decided that the Nov-Mu would be my mule of choice.

At that point I already owned a Convoy and several Emisar lights, but I wanted to experience the premium quality FireflyLite is known for. The only thing missing was a justification for buying what would become my most expensive flashlight yet. Since I work as an inspection engineer, I eventually convinced myself that a high-CRI mule could actually be useful for indoor inspections.

Choosing the emitters took some thought. I knew I wanted something warmer than my 4200K Emisar DA1K, but I wasn't ready to jump straight to 1800K. Since I had read so many positive things about the FFL351A, I favored it over the E21A, even though the layout of the twelve E21As looks gorgeous. The FFL351A 2700K wasn't listed as an option on the Firefly website, so I placed an order for an 1800K/3700K mix and added a note saying that I'd prefer 2700K if possible.

To my surprise, FireflyLite replied that 2700K was no problem. I'm still not sure why they don't offer it as a standard option.

Because I hadn't seen many posts about this particular CCT, I was excited to finally get it in hand. The moment I turned it on, I knew I was going to love it. The tint is pleasantly warm (photos 2, 4, and 5 are quite accurate), but in actual use my eyes adapt so quickly that it never feels overly warm. The color rendering (photos 6–8) is phenomenal. I've never seen colors look this crisp and natural from a flashlight.

The Nov-Mu has also proven itself on the job. I've had several people ask what kind of light I was using because of both its unusual appearance and its sheer output. Most people have never seen a mule before, and when I double-click into turbo and light up an entire ceiling, it usually earns a few impressed "wows." That's satisfying.

At home, I often use the Nov-Mu with the Wurkkos diffuser (WK40/TS12). Even at lower output levels it's more than bright enough, while remaining very comfortable on the eyes. In fact, there are times when I wish it were a little warmer, which tells me I'm probably ready for an 1800K light after all.

The light does get hot, but I rarely run turbo long enough for that to become an issue. What I do notice is the power consumption: at higher brightness levels it can drain a 21700 P50B in about two days of infrequent use. Fortunately, I can simply recharge it in the car. The magnetic charging port cover is also very well designed and something I've come to appreciate more than expected.

Honestly, even if I never used it for work, I'd still love this flashlight. If I were buying another Nov-Mu, I might choose the 1800K FFL351A or perhaps an aesthetically pleasing E21A mix just for fun. Either way, I can wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone who is intrigued by the concept of a mule.

If you're on the fence, go for it. I don't think you'll regret the purchase.

Today my S7 was in the mail.
Since a lot of people wrote about how heavy it is, I was expecting the worst. And now i am surprised how handy it is.
I ordered the Ti short tube with it and a few Keeppower 18350 1600 mAh batteries and I am going to EDCing the hell out of it.
I plan on running it on 100%, 20%, 1% no memory.

I like extremes so the emitter I chose was the SFT-25R in 5KK.

Sadly I forgot to add the pocket clip and a different button.

Questions for the community:
(1) Did I chose the best min/max emitter for throw?

(2) Is there a good aftermarket clip on the European market or do I need to get the one from Simons website?

(3) What button is the best besides the OEM one when one wants a nice haptic? I actually don’t want one with LED, since I am afraid of battery drainage.

I just got my ostrich leg boots back from the cobbler. He supplied me with solesavers which I add to all my boots.
I mostly wear them on pavement, office, driving and so on and since I want them to last I rarely wear them until I get my soles protected.

Do you also use protection or are you rawdoging?

P.S.: The cobbler told me he was sad to let go of the boots. I’d like to keep them.
P.P.S.: I live in europe and American boots are hard to get here.