Convoy 3X21E 21700 Flashlight Review

The Convoy 3X21E 21700 flashlight has many options, including emitter CCTs and TIR optics. It has very high output and USB-C charging, too! Read on!

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Official Specs and Features

Here’s a link to the Convoy 3X21E 21700 flashlight product page.

Versions

I see only one version of the Convoy 3X21E 21700 flashlight but it can be purchased from 2700K all the way up to 5700K. And after that, you still get to pick between TIR options. From 10 degree, 30 degree, or 60 degree. Some even have dimples!

Price

Without cells, the Convoy 3X21E 21700 flashlight comes in (at flashlightgo.com) at $69.99.

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What’s Included

• Convoy 3X21E 21700 flashlight
• Handle
• Screw to hold down handle
• Flat top cell adapter
• Three 21700 cells (if you buy the kit)

Package and Manual

There is no manual. The box is unlabeled too – that includes not showing which emitter options you get and which optic option you have.

Build Quality and Disassembly

The build quality of the Convoy 3X21E 21700 flashlight is fairly standard Convoy. That’s fine – I’m a big fan of Convoy and their build quality vs price. It’s very good.

It’s possible to remove the tailcap but there’s nothing under there to access or mess with.

To get to the cells, you’ll need to remove the head. Inside the cell tube (left) you can see the springs. The positive end has only brass contactact points for the positive button.

Convoy includes an adapter, which allows the use of flat top 21700 cells.

I haven’t shown it here, but the stainless steel bezel does unscrew very easily. In fact, sometimes when unscrewing the body from the head I felt the bezel give way a little – so you should be careful to keep the bezel right where it is (unless you’re removing it intentionally.)

Size and Comps

Length: 124.5mm
Diameter: head 65mm, body 51.5mm
Weight: flashlight 410g, handle 43g
gross weight 534g (include package)

If the flashlight will headstand, I’ll show it here (usually the third photo). If the flashlight will tailstand, I’ll also show that (usually in the fourth photo).

Here’s the test light with the venerable Convoy S2+. The version below is a custom laser-engraved Convoy S2+ host by GadgetConnections.com. I did a full post on an engraved orange host right here! Or just go straight to GadgetConnections.com to buy your Convoy S2+ now!

Also above is the light beside a TorchLAB BOSS 35, an 18350 light. I reviewed the aluminum version of that light in both 35 and 70 formats. I also reviewed that specific edition, the “Oveready BOSS FT Collector Vintage Brass” 35. I love it!

Retention and Carry

Included with the Convoy 3X21E 21700 flashlight is a very nice handle. This handle attaches near the head. It’s secured with a single screw into a hole that appears to be standard tripod-screw sized.

As you can see above, the screw has a loop. You could attach a lanyard here.

I love this handle – it’s just a simple handle – no electronics or anything. But it does the job. It keeps your hand off the hot Convoy 3X21E 21700 flashlight and has a few attachment points, too.

There should be a hole in the handles through which you could use a screwdriver to tighten the retention screw. And if that was the case, the handle could stand off the body just a bit less, too. Those are minor changes.

The handle is great!

Placement of the handle is also very good; the light will balance very easily on the handle.

That’s it though – there’s nothing else included for carrying the Convoy 3X21E 21700 flashlight.

Power and Runtime

Flashlightgo.com kindly sent three EVE 50E 5000mAh 21700 cells for use in the 3x21E.

These are flat-top cells and thus require the use of the included flat-top adapter.

This adapter gives these flat-tops faux buttons so that they can make contact to the positive ring on the head.

There’s a ramping option (default, actually) but I tested the Convoy 3X21E 21700 flashlight in the stepped modes. There are only four stepped levels (there should be five, at least).

I don’t believe Convoy or others give any estimated outputs. The higher CCT options would have higher output and the lower CCT options would have lower output.

Charging

The Convoy 3X21E 21700 flashlight offers USB-C charging through a port on the head.

Charging is fine, reaching around 3A (which is only 1A per cell, so perfectly safe for each cell). 3A might seem “fast” but three 21700 5000mAh cells have a high capacity, so it still takes a while. A to C or C to C both work fine.

While charging, the switch is red. When charging is complete, the switch changes to green.

Modes and Currents

Mode	Mode Claimed Output (lm)	Claimed Runtime	Measured Lumens	Tailcap Amps
100%	–	–	9104 (0s) 8238 (30s)	>13.1
40%	–	–	2684 (0s) 2607 (30s)	9.11
10%	–	–	982	4.20
1%	–	–	140	0.57

Pulse Width Modulation

The lower three stepped modes use very fast PWM. 100% output does not.

Here you can see a “baseline” – a chart with almost no light hitting the sensor. Then there’s the Ultrafire WF-602C flashlight, which has some of the worst PWM I’ve seen. It’s so bad that I used a post about it to explain PWM! Here are multiple timescales (10ms, 5ms, 2ms, 1ms, 0.5ms, 0.2ms) to make comparing this “worst” PWM light to the test light easier. That post also explains why I didn’t test the WF-602C at the usual 50us scale.

User Interface and Operation

There’s a single switch on this light. It’s an e-switch and offers indication features, too!

Here’s a user interface table! The Convoy 3X21E 21700 flashlight offers ramping and stepped outputs, too.

State	Action	Result
Off	Click	On (mode memory)
Off	Hold	No action
On	Hold	Ramping: Ramp up (release and click again for ramp down) Stepped: Asdend through 4 modes
Any	Double click	Turbo 100%
Off	Click 3x	Strobe
Off	Click 4x	Tactical mode
Off	Click 5x	Voltage detection^
Off	Click 6x	Iterate between stepped and ramping
Off	Click 10x	Iterate Lockout

^It’s a “blink pause blink” setup. The first set of blinks is the “ones” and the next set is “tenths.” So blink blink blink pause blink = 3.1V
^^ The manual says “2. flashlight off, press the button ——> moonlight mode [This brightness will not be remembered]” but I don’t think that’s the case – there does not seem to be any direct access to “moonlight.”

LED and Beam

This Convoy 3X21E 21700 flashlight shipped with three quads of Nichia 519a at 4500K. That’s a great setup! I love it; it’s so practical! And quite a high output light still, even at 4500K. If high output is your only goal but you still want 519a, the 5700K would be your best choice.

As with the box not being labeled for CCT, it’s also not clear which optics I have here. It’s clear that they’re not clear (they’re “beaded”), so it’s not a 10 degree flat.

Whatever these are you should know – 10 is the narrowest (and will provide the most throw) and 60 is the widest (and will be the floodiest). These are probably 10 degree – the beam is fairly tight! They’re also “beaded” though, which might soften some artifacts. In any case, if you want throw, get the 10 degree clear or beads TIR.

LED Color Report (CRI and CCT)

CCT of this Convoy 3X21E 21700 flashlight comes in under 4500K. That’s fine for me (and really matches what I feel about the output. If you want more neutral, maybe the 5000K would be just under 5000K, making this a great all-around light! CRI is fantastic, of course, pushing well into the High CRI range. That aspect of this emitter should be the same no matter which CCT you pick.

Beamshots

These beamshots are always with the following settings:  f8, ISO100, 0.3s shutter, and manual 5000K exposure. These photos are taken at floor level and the beam hits the ceiling around 9 feet away.

Tint vs BLF-348 (KillzoneFlashlights.com 219b version) (affiliate link)

I keep the test flashlight on the left, and the BLF-348 reference flashlight on the right. These photos are taken around 18 inches from the door.

I compare everything to the KillzoneFlashlights.com 219b BLF-348 because it’s inexpensive and has the best tint!

Summary and Conclusion

I really like the Convoy 3X21E 21700 flashlight. It’s reasonably priced and has very high output. Especially considering that it’s a High CRI (or even “very” high CRI) light. It’s also very modifiable (the bezel unscrews easily). There should be one extra level in the stepped outputs, both because I want 5 modes and because there’s a massive gap between the lowest and second lowest level.

The Big Table

Convoy 3X21E 21700 flashlight
Emitter:	Nichia 519a (High CRI)
Price in USD at publication time:	$69.99
Cell:	3×21700
Runtime Graphs
LVP?	Yes
Switch Type:	E-Switch
Quiescent Current (mA):	?
On-Board Charging?	Yes
Charge Port Type:	USB-C
Charge Graph
Power off Charge Port	with cell(s): all modes without cells and/or tube: lower 2 modes (basically)
Claimed Lumens (lm)	–
Measured Lumens (at 30s)	8238
Candela per Lumen	3.12
Claimed Throw (m)	–
Candela (Calculated) in cd (at 30s)	1076lux @ 5.596m = 33695cd
Throw (Calculated) (m)	367.1
Claimed CCT	4500K
Measured CCT Range (K)	4200-4400 Kelvin
Item provided for review by:	flashlightgo.com
All my Convoy reviews!

^ Measurement disclaimer:  Testing flashlights is my hobby. I use hobbyist-level equipment for testing, including some I made myself. Try not to get buried in the details of manufacturer specifications versus measurements recorded here; A certain amount of difference (say, 10 or 15%) is perfectly reasonable.

What I like

• Emitter options
• High CRI
• Reasonable cost
• Optics options (for throw or flood)
• Charging works well

What I don’t like

• Convoy price creep – $86 with cells is bordering into the next range of pricing
• Needs more stepped modes (particularly on the low end)
• No direct access to low (memory or turbo only!)

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Notes

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