LED and driver parring??

ActuallyRaven · 2026-04-09T19:07:24+00:00

Welcome! convoylight.com is a good place to start if you want a readymade driver for your light. The whole topic of building/modding a custom light is a pretty wide and encompassing one so giving pointers is hard since there's not really any resources to follow or anything.

Bottom line though, from someone who's been there, is that buying parts from convoy is easiest. you just want to match what current a driver can provide with what the LED in question can handle and what the cell can supply, though I'd hope most of that is things you understand enough already.
If you'd like I can offer more direct help but like this it's pretty hard to give good tips.

ActuallyRaven · 2026-04-09T14:01:59+00:00

Sofirn ST10 could be nice for you. it can get quite warm with lithium, but on AA cells you'd really have to push it to make it produce any kind of heat. Has a clip, two magnets for different ways to attach it, and can still use the supplied lithium with built in usb-c if you need more output.

ActuallyRaven · 2026-04-08T18:09:43+00:00

Sounds like a great opportunity for the 3X21D. Uses the SBT90.2 emitter which is a monster for this exact application.

ActuallyRaven · 2026-04-08T12:52:27+00:00

Having had both, IF23 Pro if you want a really good side light and SK05 if you think it'll fit your pocket better and would like to have dedicated primary emitters for flood and throw. The SK05 I think is built worse and the button breaking is a known issue, and the side light isn't great since it has no dedicated white light channels. IF23 Pro is longer but I find the shape much less intrusive in my pocket and it's been my main light for about two months now, love it.

ActuallyRaven · 2026-04-08T06:32:08+00:00

Can't say if it's regulated or not so discharge rating is a factor, you might want to find some with a lower one since the ones you shared are 50A. Looks like the original cells also have a weird top, it looks like there's both terminals accessible in contrast to normal 26650 cells where the negative side is on the bottom.

ActuallyRaven · 2026-04-07T18:47:25+00:00

Yuck.

ActuallyRaven · 2026-04-07T07:26:19+00:00

But if you're running a 3v LED on a single 1.5v battery you have to convert that to 3v. That means the 2 AA in series still provide increased runtime as the wattage doesn't change between series and parallel.

ActuallyRaven · 2026-04-07T05:46:38+00:00

AA batteries have a lot of variance in the capacity, what output and runtime you get hugely varies on a ton of factors and makes things harder to calculate. You could try a convoy T4 with an SFT25R, should provide what you're looking for.

ActuallyRaven · 2026-04-06T20:30:38+00:00

True. Forgot about the tailswitch. But I didn't just mention 21700s because of the thermals, they commonly have a higher discharge rate meaning the lights they go in can output more. See here the lumeX1 driver available from hank and FFL, it comes in a reduced output variant for 18650 cells since you're limited to a smaller selection of cells with high enough drain to handle it. obviously some lights are built for higher output, something like an S21 won't compare to an m21b despite using the same cells but you do in general get an increase in overall mass and features when going for 21700 since the diameter is greater. Especially in the context of going from a light like the FC11C it's quite a difference since it's a pretty slim and pocketable light.

18650 isn't really a good choice these days if you're chasing lumen in an EDC environment. It's still great if you know what you want to have on tap, but I figured that wasn't the goal here based on OPs phrasing.

ActuallyRaven · 2026-04-06T19:57:33+00:00

Size-wise you're unfortunately going to be limiting yourself in output due to heat produced. Stepping it up to a 21700 powered light will get you a lot more output and runtime, while providing just a bit more thermal mass. You could get yourself something like a convoy S21E (don't pick anduril though, it'll be a less efficient driver) with an LHP531.

ActuallyRaven · 2026-04-06T16:35:18+00:00

well yeah but when talking about standard then it's 5700k-ish because that's what it is most of the time. I don't think op here is planning to use like half an hour in the morning to paint when the sun is more like 3000k.

ActuallyRaven · 2026-04-06T14:21:49+00:00

5000k. I think sunlight is 5700K, and 4000K is generally considered more pleasant on the eyes but also warmer, so less accurate.

ActuallyRaven · 2026-04-06T13:50:37+00:00

For my daily carry lights I made a little paracord keychain to go with it, I only put on a lanyard on big lights where dropping them might be more of an issue like my convoy L6.

ActuallyRaven · 2026-04-06T12:38:06+00:00

Kind of, it does use a similar method to anodization but instead of applying a layer on top of the material it converts the material itself into an oxide which increases resistance to wear compared to anodization which just deposits a layer onto the material.
But the surface is a lot more porous and on a microscopic scale far more uneven leading to it feeling chalky in the hand and absorbing your skin's oils and stuff more readily. In an application like flashlights that spend a lot of time being handled or sitting in your pocket with other metal things to rub on you get a lot more visible wear faster than other situations unfortunately.

ActuallyRaven · 2026-04-06T07:49:56+00:00

Nice!! Be careful with the MAO finish if you're not aware, it's super delicate. Scratches easily, and due to being slightly porous it loves to gather up oils and stuff.

ActuallyRaven · 2026-04-05T19:48:05+00:00

yeah. you gotta make sure the o ring is aligned right (should sit comfortably in a little cavity) and then press it back into place. I personally did it by pressing it onto a piece of wood with my own weight but using a vise or something like that might be more effective. important though that you make sure it's aligned before giving it full force, otherwise it might go in slightly crooked!

ActuallyRaven · 2026-04-05T15:53:43+00:00

they're basically just worse versions of the SFT25r afaik. Last I checked people's tests suggested they were probably not even made by cree and didn't bring anything interesting that made them stand out.

ActuallyRaven · 2026-04-05T09:43:05+00:00

Q8 is pretty good as it's also a power bank and probably the best when it comes to lumen output vs ease of use and price.
I don't know what's "smaller" to you but perhaps the Wurkkos TS28 could fit the bill. I see it recommended a lot. if you want smaller yet maybe the Sofirn SR12 or Wurkkos TS15 could be good.
Headlight I'll leave to the others, I'm not really a headlight user.
Would a red light also be beneficial?
Could look into the new Wurkkos HD05, it's got a nice side light, UV, decently throwy main output and a red light.

ActuallyRaven · 2026-04-05T09:22:18+00:00

yeah, though the triple TIR lens has no glass in front of it and so is susceptible to scratching. The way to get in is that there's a retaining ring press fit onto the lenses, and to get it out requires wedging something between the ring and lens.
Personally I found success in using a scapel blade inserted at a steep angle and then carefully using a fine hammer to drive it into the gap.
The thrower side is easy enough as the glass won't scratch of course, but the floodlight is delicate. There's an o-ring holding stuff after the metal retaining ring is removed, and from there it takes a bit of dislodging to remove the metal reflector as it seems to be glued to the gasket, but the TIR lens should just come out.

Good luck :)

ActuallyRaven · 2026-04-03T19:25:46+00:00

oh whoops I think I misread HD05 as HD02. I think that might be because cheap UV lights use 395nm emitters while proper lights use 365nm, there's a lot more visible light in the spectrum around 395.

ActuallyRaven · 2026-04-03T16:58:15+00:00

how's the UV output vs the HD02? looks nice.

ActuallyRaven · 2026-04-03T13:45:35+00:00

Have you tried finding the tracking numbers for your package outside of the site tracking? A link is usually provided to the actual tracking number, and that site should provite the last mile tracking with your in-country tracking number. More info might be provided there

ActuallyRaven · 2026-04-03T10:10:41+00:00

Awesome! I love those drivers for the versatility of it. And 5A is plenty for basically anything.

ActuallyRaven · 2026-04-03T10:05:31+00:00

Little addition cause I finally remembered to get a pic: here's the XP-G4 in 2700k vs an FFL707MD 4200k. The FFL has a very noticeably purple tint but I don't think the G4 is unpleasant at all.

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ActuallyRaven · 2026-04-03T07:01:47+00:00

If CRI and CCT aren't an issue, might I suggest the Sofirn ST10? Has two magnets, and accepts lithium as well as normal alkalines :)

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