Lumen candies - My favorite flashlights

It's that time again: New Light Day!

A day when I receive new flashlight(s). A day full of anticipation, joy, and excitement... Ok, I'm not that manic but NLDs are definitely fun days. 😁

There are functional flashlights then there are fun ones. At the intersection of function and fun, you have what I call "lumen candies". Ridiculous amount of light (measured in lumens) is what drew me to this hobby, but lumen candies are what kept me here. 

Alright, let's get to my (current) lumen candies:

Emisar D4SV2 on left vs Convoy S2+

I added two batteries for size comparison. The purple 18350 is what's used inside this short S2+.

Video showing these beauties in more detail

You can see the purple fringes of the S2+'s beam. They look pretty cool. Here you can also see the Glow In The Dark O-ring below the lens. It's subtle but lovely.

XPL-HI 6500k beam on the left vs SST20 4000k

Lean on me bro

Overview

I'm loving these high-powered and beautiful flashlights. Over the past 2 months I built up a bit of a collection, but these are my current favorites.

Light #1 - Emisar D4SV2 in grey

Emitter: SST20 4000k - 3000 lumens.

This light uses one 26650 Lithium Ion battery, which is fairly large but contains a lot of power and capacity.

This light also uses the open-source light-enthusiast UI called Anduril. This UI has a ton of modes and is really great to use.

Price: $50 at Intl-outdoor.com

+ $3 for tail cap magnet

+ $3 for stainless steel bezel

+ $5 for 26350 tube (to convert it into short form)

Batteries:

+ $10 for 26650 battery (high drain, 5000 mAh)

+ $5 for 26350 battery (for use with short tube)

Light #2 - Convoy S2+ in desert sand

Emitter: XPL-HI 5000k - 1000 lumens.

This light runs on the 7135x8 driver (highest power) with 3/5 mode groups.

Price: $19 for the latest version at Convoy official store

Or an older version for $16 at Neal's Gadgets

+ $5 for 18350 brass tube & lighted switch

Batteries:

+ $6 for 18650 battery (low drain, 3500 mAh, Samsung 35E recommended)

+ $5 for 18350 battery (for use with short tube)

Video comparing both lights

*Note: in the video I made a mistake by thinking the s2+ has 4 brightness levels (like my Wurkkos WK30). It doesn't. This light has the 3/5 mode driver which allows you to switch between the 5-mode group (default) and the 3-mode group. I changed it to 3-mode (low, medium, high) because I didn't want to mess with the blinking and SOS modes.

You can switch group by going into the lowest power mode, wait for it to blink, then press the button to switch group.