Convoy T3

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In the flashlight World, Convoy is a very well known brand these days. And their latest AA offering the T3 seems at first glance to uphold the expectations we have of the brand.

You can buy the T3 in various different colours in a variety of different finishes. There is a huge choice of LED emitters and tints to be had. You can even spec it with an included 14500 battery if you want. Although the T3 will also happily run on regular AA’s too.

Single AA lights have an appeal all of their own, being some of the smaller Every Day Carry lights available. But often lack punch when running on an AA. The inclusion to cater for high lumen output using a 14500 should appease most people.

To start using the T3 all you need to do is pop in the battery chemistry of your choice and fire it up via the reverse clicky tail switch.

Package quality.

The T3 comes in the traditional Convoy plain box. The light is secure and well packed to be protected, but that is about it. No frills or branding on the package.

Included:

• Pocket clip (pre-fitted)
• Lanyard

Any hoping for instructions will need to head to Convoys Aliexpress store for an online description of modes and specs..

The T3 has a lovely looking design with different patterns or knurling on the head, body and tailcap. But they all seem to fit together cohesively. The anodising is lovely and silky smooth and in this instance I’m loving the orange colour too.

The T3 will happily tail stand or stand on its head and the pocket clip offers a degree of anti-roll. The switch is rubber cap and of the reverse clicky variety. The switch itself has no mush at all and is a very satisfying and solid feeling switch to operate with a deep resounding click as you turn the light on or off.

The pocket clip comes pre-fitted, which is fine with me as I always like a pocket. The clip itself is completely fine and does the job fine, although for preference I’d have preferred if it was more of a deep carry style.

The T3 is a compact easy to use flashlight which is ideal for everyday carry use and is ideal around the home or outside. Albeit with limited beam distance outside

As we have come to expect from Convoy, the build quality is absolutely fantastic. I can not see or find a single issue with the quality of the light, components or construction. To this end the square cut threads are both smooth and slop free. The pocket clip is nicely sprung and offers a firm grip. The knurling and detailing on the T3’s body is very smooth and presents no sharp or rough edges.

The reverse clicky switch is well recessed, yet easy to reach and has a very positive feel about it, with a reassuring clunk click when you use it.

I also like very much that Convoy offers the T3 in an array of colours and finishes.

The T3 uses an OP reflector and glass lens. Convoy also offers a selection of different LEDs and tints. In this case I have the 519A in 4000k. It is a nice warmish neutral tint with no bad habits at all.

The beam is nice with a largish hotspot and reasonable spill beam. Making it ideal for general use around the house or at closer ranges outdoors.

Opple Light Meter readings (2.5m):

AA Medium mode

• 4324 CCT

• 97.8 CRI Ra

Dimensions: 

Convoy T3	Millimeters	Inches
Length	93.3 mm	3.67 in
Head diameter	21 mm	0.83 in
Body diameter	21mm	0.83 in

Dimensions are rounded to the nearest millimeter, and to the nearest tenth of an Inch.

Weight: 

Convoy T3	Weight in grams	Weight in oz
Without battery:	47 g	1.66oz

Weight is rounded to the nearest gram, and to the nearest tenth of an Oz.

Flashlight size comparison with its competition:

Compared to some other EDC flashlights

Group 1:Convoy T3, Convoy S2+

Group 2: Thrunite T10T, Convoy T3, EagleTac D25A Ti, Klarus Mi7

Available modes:

• 4 modes in 13 groups

Available blinky modes:

• Strobe and/or blinking

From OFF:

• Click for On

From ON:

• Half press to advance modes
• Click for Off

Mode memory:

• Yes, but can also be turned off

Low voltage warning:

• Yes, when using Li-ion, No when using 1.2-1.5v AA’s

Strobe/blinkies

• Certain mode groups include blinkies and strobe modes

Lock-out mode: 

• Physical

PWM

• None

Additional/summary info on the UI: 

• With the light on, tap the button 20 times to enter the program selection mode

Convoy T3 programming: how to enter and customize

Problems with programming your Convoy T3? Here are the steps, including some tips.

First, you need to enter the programming menu. Turn the light on, and start tapping the switch (not clicking) for about 20+ times. (you’re basically changing modes, until the light just stays dark). When you don’t see any light, you entered the configuration mode.

Now release the switch, and you’ll see 1 blink, followed by quick flashing.. It will then do 2 blinks… and quick flashing.

Those are the 2 options you have. The first blink is to select your desired mode menu, while the second is to turn the mode memory on/off.

Activate/deactivate mode memory:

First I’ll explain the second option (with the 2 blinks) for selecting the mode memory. When you see the 2 blinks + flashing, you can fully click the switch to turn the mode memory on/off. It won’t let you know what you selected, so you basically have to test it yourself to see which option is currently selected.

You can do this by turning the light on, changing modes… and then turning it off.. When you turn it back on, you’ll either notice that the light is back in the same mode you used last time (Mode memory), or if the light it in the first mode (by default this is the lowest output mode).

Note: When testing mode memory, you shouldn’t select Moon mode. Because if you have mode memory turned off, it will always turn on in the lowest output. You have to use a different mode for testing.

If it’s not what you wanted, you have to go back, tap the switch again for 20+ times to enter programming mode, and wait for the 2nd blink, and again turn the light off. This time you have selected the other mode memory setting.

Change Mode Group in Biscotti firmware:

Ok, now we will change to another mode group.

First, you need to enter programming mode, by tapping the flashlight about 20+ times till there is no light coming from the flashlight. You let the switch go, and wait till you see the first blink + flashing. Now you have 2 options:

1. You tap the switch to enter Mode Group Selection directly, and the light will show a number of blinks.
2. You click the switch, so the light will turn off, so you have a bit more time to concentrate. If you turn the light back on, you enter Mode Group Selection.

In the Mode Group Selection, you will see a number of blinks. Of course, starting with only 1 blink. (This is the default option).

When you wait about 3 seconds, the light will blink 2 times. After another 3 seconds, it will blink 3 times.. this continues till you see all 12 blinks.

If you’d like to activate Mode group 5, with only 3 modes. You simply turn the light off after the 5 blinks.

The T3 does not have onboard charging, but will run on a single AA battery or 14500 Li-ion. The T3 also isn’t fussy and will take button or flat top batteries of varying lengths.

On AA’s it stays cool for the duration, even at max output, although High mode with a 14500 will heat it up a little, but it is quite manageable to handle for the most part.

All measures are made with a homemade lightbox and the CeilingBounce app on an Android phone.

Lumen measurements (for each mode)

AA NiMh (Amazon basics):

Mode	Amps at start	Specs	Lumens @turn on	Lumens @30 sec	Lumens @10 minutes
Moon	0.02	–	1	1	1
Low	0.13	–	17	17	17
Med	0.48	–	57	57	57
High	2.87	–	161	158 lm	158

14500 Li-ion (Efest IMR ‘Purple’ 650mAh):

Mode	Amps at start	Specs	Lumens @turn on	Lumens @30 sec	Lumens @10 minutes
Moon	0.01	–	4	4	4
Low	0.11	–	46	46	46
Med	0.40	–	155	151	151
High	1.30	–	401	383 lm	372

Parasitic drain:

• None

Battery Life: Runtime graphs

AA NiMh (Amazon basics):

Mode	Specified runtime	Measured runtime ANSI	Time till shut off
Med	–	3h 58min	4h 4min
High	–	1h 4min	1h 10min

14500 Li-ion (Efest IMR ‘Purple’ 650mAh):

	Specified runtime	Measured runtime ANSI	Time till shut off
Mode
Med	–	58m 48s	58m 48s
High	–	21m 20s	21m 20s

About ANSI FL1 standards: The runtime is measured until the light drops to 10% of its initial output (30 seconds after turning on). This does not mean that the flashlight is not usable anymore. The last column shows how long the light actually works till it shuts off. If there is a + symbol, it means that the test was stopped at that particular point, but the light was actually still running. This happens on certain occasions, with certain drivers, firmware, or batteries.

Peak beam intensity and beam distance measurements measured at 2.5m with the CeilingBounce app on an Android phone.

AA NiMh (Amazon basics):

Mode	Specs	Candela measured	Meters	Yards
Low	–	101	20m	22 yd
Medium	–	353	38m	42 yd
High	–	971 cd	62m	68 yd

14500 Li-ion (Efest IMR ‘Purple’ 650mAh):

Mode	Specs	Candela measured	Meters	Yards
Low	–	292	34m	37 yd
Medium	–	983	63m	69 yd
High	–	2665 cd	103m	113 yd

About peak beam intensity: Peak beam distance according to ANSI FL1 standards: The calculated value of distance in meters at which the flashlight produces a light intensity of 0.25 lux. (0.25 lux is about the brightness of a full moon shining on an object). The columns ‘Meters’ and ‘Yards’ use rounded numbers.

Camera settings and distance: 15m using Canon EOS 200D – Canon 18-55mm EFS IS – 2”/F6.3/ISO 400/WB 5200k “Daylight”

Beamshots of the following flashlights compared:

• Thrunite T10T XM-L2 (AA)
• EagleTact D25A Ti XPL-HI (14500)

Disclaimer: This flashlight was sent to me for review at no cost by Convoy. I have not been paid to review, nor have I been holding back on problems or defects.