I posted yesterday asking for some recommendations for flashlight. I am deciding between these two. Which one would you recommend?

Below is from my previous post,

https://www.reddit.com/r/flashlight/s/621lRqySxo

My use case is mostly around the house/pool house. For ex: most of the unused attic doesn’t have any light and I want to inspect it from time to time. Swimming Pool equipment house is a bit dark so I need flashlight when I want to inspect around. Unfinished basement is a bit dark so use it there while inspecting or if fixing things.

I prefer as bright as I can get as I am sucker for bright light and hate dark places. I would also prefer rechargeable ones.

Also I hate the Chinese ones on Amazon which do false advertising. I had watched one video about imalent which was true to what they advertise. I just don’t know if imalent is the best or there are other brands better than that.

Budget: I have no idea how much bright ones cost so maybe $100-150?

Size: no preference. Are there any two in one which can be used as handheld and headlamp?

Sofirn Q8 Plus: 6 XHP50.2 HD (they say "XHP50B"...) Convoy 3X21B: 3 XHP70.3 HI

Price Range: Don't wanna spend 200 €. More like 100. Sofirn has a very compelling deal at below 70 € right now, that's only valid thru July 31st. I'm okay with buying used and don't need batteries included.

Purpose: This is gonna be a multi-purpose light that will be set on the ground or a table ceiling bouncing, mounted on a tripod or superclamp (UNC-threaded hole is important) or hand-held for a walk if need be. But I've got more compact lights for night walks or hiking, so size and weight are not no. 1 priority.
What I really want is two things:
Sustained output and
Lumen-hours
For both of these efficient drivers and great emitter efficiacy are key. XHP50 and XHP70 LEDs are great for that. I want 5000 K (4500 - 5700). I dont need high CRI, 80 would be nice, though. The Sofirn seems to have a crappy driver. Or the temp threshold is just set very conservatively... I couldn't find much info about the driver, so it would be great if you could shed some light on that. It does run Anduril 2, so that's a huge bonus.
I haven't found info about flashing Anduril to the 3X21B driver, but at least I know that it's a boost driver outputting 15 Amps at 6 Volt. And reviewers have drawn some nice runtime graphs for it.
Also: is there maybe a way to put a better driver into the Q8 Plus? In case it's really not that good. But it has its three cells in parallel and needs to drive XHP50s, so it has to step up the voltage. (Or am I wrong here?) This may not be a guarantee for 90%+ driver efficiency, but most of the time this is the case...

Battery Type & Quantity: I'm looking for a 3x21700 "soda can" light. 4x18650 is pretty much the same size, but has less energy, so the light would have to make up for that somehow... Let's keep it 3x21700.

Size: The Q8 Plus has a very nice form factor. The Convoy is longer and wider at the head but also good. I don't want a huge head like 100 mm or more in diameter.

Type: Soda can. :-)

Main Use: Laying/tail standing somewhere putting out lots of light for a few hours. Setting up for an event, tearing said setup down, small construction work.

Switch Type: They're all side switches, anyway.

Just curious what ya'll would go with? I'm looking to treating myself to a brighter flashlight while I'm visiting America to take back with me back home abroad. A nice bright light for caving photos and videos in some of the massive chambers we got.

There are some obvious comparisons to be made between the two, and each of them has its own unique merits as well. They both have fantastic specs and I'm interested in seeing how they fare against each other.

I was wondering what y'all thought of them and why you'd choose one over the other / what purposes would one serve better than the other.

Update:

Thanks all for your help. I was able to move forward on my purchases.

I ended up grabbing both the HS21 and the Convoy 3X21D (not A). Between the HS21 and my new Acebeam TAC 2AA I'm covered for short distances. I really wanted a long thrower and the 3X21D seems to handle this task very well (for the price) and still provides enough spill over for shorter distances in a pinch without backscatter getting in the way.

I also paired the 3X21D with Molicel P42A's for the colder winter months. While the B35AM would have probably done just fine, I really wanted something more rugged/durable and the 3X21D seems very well built for a budget torch.

I will probably end up getting a battery charger if I start a collection going but will play with these new lights for a bit before determining that.

The community seems great here! Thanks again for all the pointers.

Hello all,

I'm very new to this hobby but find it a fascinating one and hope to learn more.

I've done some basic research but often will seek help from professionals before deciding on a my first real purchase.

I currently have a budget of around $100-150 USD and shopping off Aliexpress to save a few bucks as this isn't time sensitive, I can wait a few weeks to save a few bucks.

I think I've narrowed it down between the two in the tittle. Both are pretty close price wise but it appears the Q8 Plus is much more powerful than the Convoy, however the Convoy here allegedly doesn't dim as quickly from heat soak and comes with a nice a handle as the unit gets hot when pushed. The Sofrin Q8 Plus if I go that route I'd prefer to buy the highest amperage batteries to get the most out of it but I worry about the device burning my hands :) I can't seem to find a handle for it on Ali.

They are pretty close price wise after factoring in batteries + handle etc. Base price of the Sofrin is a little cheaper though before the necessary add ons.

Basically I want something that's a good combination of both flood and distance. I live on roughly 4-5 acres of land that backs onto a river, but it's narrow and long at the back here, and stretches a pretty far distance.

We get all sorts of animals coming and going and I really want something that can hit about 500 yards to spot check for deer and other animals that lurk about around here at night. Ideally something closer to 1000 yards would be amazing but that's probably out of my price range without going with a narrow beam.

Am I looking at the right models here? I understand there are narrow beam lights that can reach much further distances but I'm trying to avoid buying multiple flashlights if possible.

I also want a torch that has built in charging capabilities (probably blasphemy to say this here) instead of having to nurse batteries in a charging station which isn't very convenient for me for grab and go situations.

Anyway, I'd be very happy if someone could nudge me in the right direction between the two here I'm looking at (or if there's something better suited for my use case, I'm open to suggestions!).

The current Aliexpress sale is ending soon (in a day or two), and I hope to make a decision before the sale ends.

Thank you in advance for helping!

I bought a house with acreage so naturally I’ve fallen into the hobbyist path of flashlights because my brain tells me “I need them” lol

Anyways, I gathered from my time on this subreddit that the handful of “Alixpress” China brands offer the best value when balancing performance per dollar, so, I bought an HS21 Headlamp, IF33 thrower, and an SC18 because everyone here seems to love it.

Now I’m thinking I need a good flood or flood/thrower combo and I’m wondering if I should be looking at Sofirn again with their Black Friday sale…what’s everyone’s thoughts?

As in the title, but sell me on your best alternative. This is what i’m leaning towards but I know you guys are a wealth of experience.

I don’t have a real need for it. Likeliest use case is getting stupid at a camp site. Here’s what appeals to me:

-Stupid bright

-Decent sustained bright

-Mostly floody

-3 x 21700 — long run time

Nice but I could live without:

-on board charging

-power bank functionality

Skeptical of:

-cooling fans because i don’t want to hear my light.

Wish it had:

-Anduril 2

I’d go $200 without blinking. If it’s more than that I’d better believe I’m getting something pretty special.

Thanks!

They are on sale and at around $20 difference, which one should I get. I'm already using SP36 Pro+diffuser and I'm ok with it. I just want another one. What's something the the lantern has that Q8 doesn't?

I'm planning my next purchase, which is going to be a chonky, multi-emitter flood-monster. At the moment, the top of the pile is the M44, but in not sure what combination of LEDs to go for.

What would you choose? I'm after flood for at least one channel, quite probably both.

Or, alternatively, what other light would you recommend? I'm also thinking about the Sofirn Q8 range. Any others I should check out?

Hello.

I've had the Q8 Plus for over a year now, but I've started to realize that I actually want an efficient soda can instead. Is there any light like the Q8 Plus that has better sustained output? I've already looked at Meteor M44 and Acebeam lights.

I’m looking to by powerful search light, and like the look of the Q8 for the money. Is it really 16,000lm? Any independent tests/reviews to confirm.

Also, any alternatives around the same-ish price point?