Can't Justify An LEP Flashlight? Get This Instead! Convoy Z1
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- čas přidán 31. 01. 2024
- Can't justify an LEP flashlight? Get this instead! I reviewed the Convoy Z1 with the new W5050SQ3 LED. This is a circular LED that solves the issue of the square beam created by other LEDs. I'll go through both the 3000K and 6500K versions. This is the best value zoomable flashlight out there that is the closest thing you'll find to an LEP flashlight at a fraction of the price.
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www.aliexpress.com/item/10050...
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Convoy Z1 Review Transcript:
General thoughts after a week of usage/size comparison/practicality/interesting things:
• So I've seen a few people review the Z1, but I wasn't really interested in it due to the rectangular/square beam it produced when zoomed in. But when I saw Convoy had released a version with the W5050SW3 round LED, I wanted one straight away! Convoy sent me samples of the Z1 for the purposes of this review. The Z1 is the only zoomable light out there that represents excellent value for money. Ledlenser has a patent for their zoomable system, and they charge a lot for it!
• What's in the box - the Z1, lanyard.
• Comparison with Ledlenser P6R Core QC, P7R, Nextorch T10L, Acebeam Terminator M2
Overall Construction, LED, lens, bezel and reflector
• Feels solid, well machined. Heavier than it looks due to the glass lens/larger head. Some cooling fins cut into the head. The anodizing is smooth, a little slippery. The knurling helps. The overall build quality is excellent, especially at this price point. Stainless steel tailswitch. The head unscrews to produce a narrow beam. Fully unscrewed produced a broad beam. There's a decent amount of friction when turning so I'm confident it won't accidentally retract when pushed. It feels like there are a set of threads that are locked on each, so the head can only move between two points.
• High-quality borosilicate glass lens - looks completely clear and with no imperfections. From what I can see with my two Ledlenser flashlights, they both use clear plastic convex lenses. W5050SQ3 round LED. This is perfect for this lens as it will mirror the shape of the LED. The lens is recessed to help protect it. Natural scratch resistance of glass.
UI - modes
• 12 group driver. Large range of modes that suit different applications - e.g. 100%, blinky modes. Memory mode on/off. Half-press to change modes.
Performance - total output, beam profile, longevity, practicality
• Ceiling bounce test, CRI, CCT
• Amazingly throwy beam - looks like a clean projection when zoomed in, and nice and even light when zoomed out.
Considerations
• If I'm picky, there are minor artifacts when zoomed in and zoomed out. Zoomed in, there is a purplish ring around the hotspot. Zoomed out, the beam isn't completely smooth. The center is a little brighter. Not noticeable for the most part unless you're pointing it at a white wall indoors.
• Bulky head! Necessary to produce a long-range beam. It makes a little noise when adjusting the head but there is no friction or risk of damage to the focusing mechanism.
• No onboard charging
Verdict
• Hands down the best value zoomie light out there! You get the best of both worlds - flood and throw, and decent runtime as well with that 21700 cell. The new circular LED turns the Z1 into a more polished thrower - Věda a technologie
The 3000K version is awesome, love it!
Oh yeah! We need more high powered round LEDs... Smaller ones with high brightness
Wow finally one of those style worthy of buying, that's pretty neat
Yeah I'm really happy with these :D
Nice. I have been very pleased with the Convoy C8+
Cant go wrong with Convoy, probably my fav 'budget' light. Some of them need a tweak here and there though.
Those beams look practical! LEP torches usually have a pretty narrow and impractical beam. Convoy L8 is another good LED thrower!
Man they're fun to play with :D I would like a set of different sized lenses and LEDs to experiment with, whether we can achieve a smaller, more intense beam. There's probably a point where the light is too weak.
Great review 👍
Thank you! Cheers!
~70 CRI is quite poor. I really don't understand why would people prefer performance over true colors.
I just got one with B35AM LED, and it's good. Not as powerful, but very nice white light and color rendering.
Nice review.
Nice. I'm a long range flashlight junkie so just pick whatever LED gets the job done haha
Do you possibly know why ledlenser are so pricey and coveted? is there something special about their flashlights that you struggle to find elsewhere to justify the price?
Probably because they are produced in Germany, not China.
They have a patented focusing system, and designed in Germany. So they just add a premium due to that fact. Despite the negative press, I own three and really like them. The actual lights are made in China btw.
They are China made . Germany on them is only marketing....
That 3000k looks great. Always excited for warm throwers. Do you think you could do a quick comparison of the tints side by side with an sft3000k? Which one do you think's got a nicer tint?
Hi mate, I'm getting into them too as they seem to offer an advantage in terms of target clarity when compared to 6500K. I have an SFT40 3000K in my Convoy S21G and they look kinda similar but the SFT40 is 95CRI which makes colours easier to identify.
Great video, man! How does Z1 with this new W5050SQ3 LED, compares to similar size lights with reflectors in terms of throw?
I have the same emitter in the C8+ similar sized host. Throw figures are also similar.
Im very happy with my sft40 z1.... 6500 Calvin, would love to get one in 5k . You can lubricate the inner threads to get rid of any squeaks...
How did you open it to get to the threads?
Take off the top and lens , then try to twist counter clockwise, its been awhile since i opened it, but it will unscrew. The led doesn't get touched, just the part that moves up and down to focus..
@@gonzalez7805 ok thanks will try
I just reopened it, very easy . Unscrew the lense cap and then twist to zoom the light it twista right off..
Interested - but appears to not be in the official store....
Yes the official store is closed until end of Feb. Check back then, and will be available.
I've got a Z1 with the 519A emitter, which I ordered because it had the warmest temperature available (2700K). I don't recommend it though, because the focused spot beam is square with the 519A instead of perfectly round like yours.
Yeah that's the issue with the square ones, would bug me too much. Also with some emitters, you can see the non-illuminated grid lines of the LED. You could just get this led separatey, swap it in.
@@DarrenYeoYT I'm not to familiar with all the options. Would be good to have a list of which emitters work best in the Z1
(Haven't watched your whole video yet)
@@stephenathonI think LEDs like the Osram W1/W2 fair better. No grid lines, just a solid box. But even with the SFT40 it's not a completely clean die surface so the zoomed in beam has odd artifacts.
@@stephenathonmany larger LEDs are composed of smaller 'grids'
Well the LED you've got in yours is awesome. I'm not a fan of the square at all, it's just like my cheap-o zoomies. Maybe worth a swap, thanks!@@DarrenYeoYT
Are these currently available? I tried looking around on AliExpress but couldn't find it anywhere.
The convoy store is closed unfortunately until end of Feb! I'll message Simon and let him know people are interested though.
We need a Laser flashlight from convoy !!!!
I asked SImon but he said LEP modules are still too expensive to consider, especially for a budget price.
I went to his store using the link but can't find the W5050SQ3 version? Do you think this means they are sold out or just not available yet?
Store is close until end of Feb, all the workers take holidays for Chinese New year around this time, and go back to their towns etc to visit family. It's just Simon on his own there right now.
@@DarrenYeoYT there is still no W5050SQ3 version. All other versions are available. Any insight?
@@JohnDoe-vo5ed I can see it here: www.aliexpress.com/item/1005006387132122.html
Which one is better to get for z1, nm1, round 5050, or sft40?
I'd get the round 5050. Beam looks so much better. SFT40 makes more light though.
@@DarrenYeoYT awesome, thanks 👍
I wonder how this would compare to having a SFT40 LED.
I think it would out throw the SFT40. As I own both of those LEDs in the same host, and the W5050SQ3 throws further. Not by much though 50-100m max.
@@DarrenYeoYT Thank you for the information. Your excellent Convoy videos have prompted to currently have 4 Convoys on order. And that M2 with the XHP50.3 hi R9050 in 5K, is truly amazing. High sustained output with a very nice beam profile. Again thank you for these really useful Convoy videos.
@@TopDog8762you're welcome mate
Smashed it outta the park with this video darren. I had no idea a light like this already existed. Best believe i'm nabbing one, $30 is a steal!
Do it ! It's a sweet thrower and finally has a circular beam. Convoy is shut until end of Feb though :/
@@DarrenYeoYT yo chief, when you say $30 did you mean AUD or USD?
USD - yeah I should probably specify but most people that watch my channel seem to be from the states @@cullateral
@@DarrenYeoYT nah that makes sense. I got two last questions mate if you could please-
Specs say the Z1's 21700 shouldn't exceed 71mm. The cell i have (vapcell P2150A) is a 75mm button-top usb-c one.
It probs won't fit in the Z1, right?
and if so, would a high-drain Samsung cell be the way to go? High-drains seem all the rage, and I'd rather buy once buy right with batteries 💥😅 don't wanna fill the house with them
@@cullateralhey mate, I think you should be okay with that 75mm cell. Not too much longer. But yes to Samsung 50E or 40T would be ideal. Doesn't need to be super high drain as this light only draws 5A.
I couldn't justify a lep but got a Weltool dragon in the clouds anyway!!
Haha that's the way. Sometimes you just need to see what's over the fence...
Sorry, this item is no longer available! from aliexpress and amazon thanks for video
It's available but the Convoy shop is closed until end of Feb.
My friend I want to ask you what is the maximum lumen that is produced
I think this one has a max rating of 1600 lumens.
@@DarrenYeoYT No, no, you did not understand my question. I mean the maximum lumen for flashlights in general. Some of them say that 200,000 is the maximum lumen produced. Is this true?
@@Haidar-313 yes that imalent SR32 would be 200K lumens I think
@@DarrenYeoYT thanks ❤️
I just hate the squeaking head when twisting it. The Z1 is badly designed for oring placement internally, I had 2 in every 3 units where the oring behind the optic wasn't in place. Assembling myself was even a mission, I often used a little glue to hold the orings in place so I understand why the workers are having trouble.
I find I can get a slightly better focus but not fully extending the head. Removes the purple ring around the hotspot. I wonder if it's possible to adjust the point where the light locks out when unscrewed.
@@DarrenYeoYT I heard someone used a thicker oring behind or in front the optic. I think the squeak is caused from the oring on the matte ano. I used to sell them and the noise became a nightmare when I had to dismantle every unit and lube it. It was only a temp solution, but the only way to get them sold.
Tryed the link, took me to a different flashlight.
Try here: Get the Z1 from the Convoy Official Store 👇
www.aliexpress.com/item/1005006387132122.html
Shop is closed until end of Feb though
@@DarrenYeoYT thanks! I saved the link for march.
Awesome 😎@@kraftzion
Convoy site on Ali closed it seems?
They have 3 stores on Aliexpress
For the Price this Z1 is Amazing ✌️✌️
Yes unfortunately until late Feb.
I only know that main one I put in the video description but it's closed until end of Feb.
And finally, no square beam 😃
There's friction but you can't lube the head and screw? Darren.. are we still talking about flashlights? 🤣 I've had a Ledlenser P7 from when they first came out. Good light back in the day, and GREAT build quality but I've never really rated zoomables. Always came off as cheap and trying to do the best of both worlds, and sadly failing at both. Another good vid though, despite the W5050SQ3 LED it still outlines the hopeless perils of zoomies. Missed my critiques much? 🤣👍
Hahaha. You have a dirtier mind than me Judy. Better stick with normal flashlights, you're a tough customer, I wouldn't want to deal with you 😂😂 what we need for you is a tactical zoomie flashlight.
@@DarrenYeoYT Tactical+Zoomie in the same sentence=Priceless. Where can I get one?! Well played Darren, you know me too well lol!! 🤣👍
@@judysimpson3774we'd have to get a custom one made for you some day when the channel reaches 100K subs LOL. My mate and I will start a flashlight podcast. Should have you call in sometime ! It's funny, I have two channels and on this one, it's almost all male viewers, and on the painting on almost all female.
I really want a Zoomie, but also hate the square when zoomed out.
This is interesting but the artifacts are a bit annoying for me, the purple shows up quite a bit next to the yellow of the light.
Also I have never understood why zoomies are not just made with threads inside the head and outside of the body, just a simple nut and bolt system to adjust the zoom?
That squeeking noise when zooming is some thing that is going to wear out long term.
Saying that it does seem to be the best zoomie I have seen so far and for 30 bucks my complaints are not really an issue at that price.
Yeah it's not without caveats but for the price, I can't complain. Yes it was 30USD on Ali until the convoy store closed for Feb. I dunno how to get into the head. Maybe Tim McMahon will know.
20mm or 16mm ?
Lens diameter?
@@DarrenYeoYT yes, I want to replace my Z1 led SST40 with W5050 SQ3
Lens is 37mm in diameter. You should be able to do a direct LED swap. @@argentoairgun
seems its gone from the shop
I can still see it: www.aliexpress.com/item/1005006387132122.html
Have you ever compared flashlights in foggy conditions?
There are lots of theories on the internet about warm/amber/yellow light being better at penetrating fog but I'm having a hard time finding a video that proves that theory.
I've seen videos on CZcams that compare Osram LEDs with different colors but the comparison shows that green light provides the best visibility, even better than amber or warm light.
So I'm quite curious whether the green light is still able to provide the best visibility in foggy conditions.
The idea is that 6500K light scatters more - when I compare both 3000K and 6500K in the night sky, the beam of the 3000K appears less visible (lights up less of the air/participates in the air) so in theory it seems to be easier to see a clearer target when compared to 6500K. In this beamshot test though, I didn't notice a huge difference.
@@DarrenYeoYT But the less visible 3000K could also be due to the 3000K's lower output, right?
A similar thing can also happen if we compare 2 6500K flashlights with different outputs where the one with the lower output will be less visible.
Warmer lights do not exactly make it easier pierce the fog per say, it's more a case of the warm light does not reflect back and white/bleach out the fog making it harder to see like a 5000K plus light would, it's easier to pick out shapes and egdes.
I use my torches in the fog/mist pretty often, and my warmer tints make it much easier on the eyes.
Also when you ski you wear yellow or orange tints in white out conditions to get more definition.
The 3000K has 20% higher output for some reason. Unusual but I tested it before with the 6500. Drivers are the same so it could just be the bin @@Yudi.Hilmawan
@@zGJunglethat's a good explanation.
It looks good but the noise when focussing! 😳 That's a deal breaker for me.
Need a little oiling lol. But hey, it's $30 or so.
@@DarrenYeoYT Please do post back if you're able to lube this and stop the noise.
Ok sure. Issue is I don't know how to open the head. I think there must be screws under the LED gasket. @@cwh1105
70 cri? Yuuuuuuuuuuuck
Standard for brighter bins
@@DarrenYeoYT Honestly I stick with incans for most jobs but have a new maglite spectrum series ones for specific use. I did just order some 219b lights to try out
all those coronas suck
Fully zoomed in/out looks better but in between is not great.