Convoy 3X21D Review – Best Bang-For-Buck Thrower

1. Pricing & Availability
2. What comes in the box?
3. Design & Construction
4. Size & Measurements
5. User Interface
6. Emitter & Beam
7. Mode Chart
8. Runtime
9. Driver & Regulation
10. Switch
11. Carry & Ergonomics
12. Batteries & Charging
13. Competition
14. Conclusion

Pricing & Availability

Convoy sent me this light in exchange for an honest review. Here is the official product page where you can see current pricing. At the time of writing, it’s $80 USD without batteries. Mine has the optional EVE 50E cells that cost an extra $13.

What comes in the box?

3X21D comes in a brown cardboard box with a large sticker displaying the model and basic instructions. The contents are held in place by a foam insert. I like that Convoy uses basic packaging and passes that savings on to the buyer. Inside is:

• The light itself
• Batteries (inside the light, optional)
• Handle

Design & Construction

3X21D has a nice, understated design.

Build quality is nice and satisfactory. It doesn’t feel quite as nice as some higher-end brands, but it feels well-made. It’s excellent for the price. My only complaint is that mine arrived with some dings on the tailcap.

I emailed Convoy about it and Simon said that he doesn’t have any extra tailcaps available right now, but can produce an extra one in the next batch to send as a replacement.

Size & Measurements

Olight Olantern Stretch | Mini Maglite | Convoy 3X21D | Maglite 2D | Sofirn SP60

Measurement	Measured (mm)
Bezel Diameter	90.6
Length	180
Switch Diameter	10.5
Lens Thickness	2.5
Lens Diameter	86.0
Reflector Diameter	85.5
Reflector Height	60.8
MCPCB Size	~40
Body Tube Diameter	51.6
Tailcap Diameter	54.3
Tailcap Length	13.4
Driver Diameter	40
Weight with EVE 50E batteries, no handle	787

User Interface

This UI isn’t perfect but it gets the job done. It would be a deal breaker on an EDC light for me, but I can live with it on an occasional-use light.

The actions are # of presses followed by a hold (H) or a release (C). So, “1C” is one click and release. “2H” is two clicks but you hold down the last one.

State	Action	Result
Off	1C	On (mode memory)
Off	1H	Moonlight (not memorized)
Off	4C	Tactical mode
Off	5C	Voltage check
Off	6C	Toggle stepped/smooth ramping
Off	10C	Lockout
Any (except lockout)	2C	Turbo
On (except Turbo)	1C	Off
On	1H	Adjust brightness
Turbo	1C or 2C	Return to previous state (mode or off)
Tactical	1H	Momentary Turbo
Tactical	4C	Exit tactical & turn off
Lockout	10C	Unlock
Lockout	Any other action	One blink
Moonlight	1H	No change

Below is a new system I’m trying out for the UI section. Let me know what you think in the comments wherever I post this review!

Basic E-Switch UI Checklist: 8/12

• 1C on/off❌
  • 1C from Turbo/Strobe goes to the previous state, which may not be off, and that’s inconsistent. 1C in momentary mode does not turn it off, for obvious reasons. Otherwise it’s 1C on/off.
• 1H to change brightness✅
• Stepped levels✅
• Main rotation is Low-Med-High❌
  • Turbo is also in the main rotation.
• Moonlight shortcut: 1H from off✅
• Low shortcut: 1H from Moonlight❌
• Turbo shortcut: 2C from anywhere✅
• Strobe shortcut: 3C from anywhere✅
• Mode memory for Low, Medium, and High✅
• No mode memory for Moonlight, Turbo, and Strobe✅
  • If you access Turbo by shortcut, it’s not memorized. If you access it via 1H from on, it is memorized, but that’s just a symptom of the larger issue that Turbo is in the main rotation.
• 4C to lock/unlock❌
  • This UI uses 4C to enter/exit momentary mode, and 10C to enter/exit lockout. Those should be reversed.
• Does something when you click the switch in Lockout mode✅

Other Notes:

• I like the voltage readout mode and optional smooth ramping. I don’t personally use either of those features much, but I know they’re important to many other enthusiasts.
• You can accidentally exit tactical mode. This is a minor thing, but you shouldn’t be able to exit tactical mode just by clicking a bunch of times. You might do that by accident when blinking the light. Exiting should require loosening and re-tightening the body tube.
• Speed. Hold actions take too long for the light to respond, much longer than most other lights. Not a huge deal, but it makes it feel clunky. The smooth ramping speed is also uneven, being fairly quick and the low and so slow at the high end you can’t really tell if anything is changing.

Emitter & Beam

3X21D uses a Luminus SBT90.2 LED. That’s arguably the best big thrower LED on the market with tons of throw and lumens. It’s an excellent choice.

The beam is very narrow and the hotspot is reasonably clean (just some flower petals on the edges). There’s also bright spill for peripheral illumination, and it’s noticeably wider than other large throwers I’ve tested.

In the beamshots below, camera settings are fixed and the wall is 2.8M away.

In the beamshots below, camera settings are fixed, the basketball goal to the right of the hotspot is 39M away, and the power pole in the center is 185M away.

Mode Chart

Disclaimer: All of my measurements are taken at turn-on. The Texas Ace 3.5″ Lumen Tube I typically use for lumen measurements is not accurate for high-intensity lights like this one, so there are no lumen measurements in this review. A candela measurement was taken at 10 meters with an Opple Light Master III on the highest brightness, and other candela figures were calculated relative to that. CRI, CCT, & DUV data were taken for each mode from a few feet away at the center of the hotspot with the Opple Light Master and Waveform DUV Calculator. Runtime tests were performed with the Ceilingbounce app on my smartphone. These tests were performed with a fully charged included battery unless otherwise specified. I cannot measure moonlight directly, so moonlight readings are calculated based on the brightness relative to the next-lowest mode. None of this is professional equipment, so take these measurements with a grain of salt.

There are no official specs. My measurements are below.

Level	Relative Output (%)	Candela	Throw (Meters)	CRI (Ra)	Color Temp. (K)	DUV (Tint)
Turbo	100	850000	1844	TB	TB	TB
High	49	410000	1281	TB	TB	TB
Medium	12	100000	632	60	5000	0.0130
Low	3	29000	341	59	4860	0.0142
Moonlight	TD	TD	TD	60	4860	0.0143

Runtime

Performance is excellent. 3+ minutes of Turbo time and nearly 50% relative output sustained. Assuming peak brightness is ~5000lm like most SBT90 lights, then sustained output is well over 2000lm. The total runtime is fantastic too. Very well done, Convoy.

Thermal regulation: My Turbo & Turbo Cooled tests are markedly different, so there is active thermal regulation. I think it’s only in Turbo mode though, because the light does eventually get very hot on High mode in still air. I’m satisfied with this level of thermal regulation.

LVP (Low Voltage Protection) is present and works well. When the battery is effectively empty, the light will shut itself off. It doesn’t rely on the battery’s protection circuit and the light can be re-activated in an emergency.

Driver & Regulation

The driver in my sample is the “updated constant current buck” version. That should provide great efficiency at most power levels.

Regulation performance is good/average. It maintains most of the Turbo brightness down to ~25% charge.

PWM: No PWM is visible to my eyes or camera, nor audible to my ears.

Parasitic Drain is 58 microamps, which will take 29 years to drain the EVE 50E cells that came with my sample.

Switch

3X21D has an electronic side switch with a grey silicone boot. It’s clicky and tactile, but it can take a moment to find in the dark. There are LEDs under the switch to indicate charging status. I like side switches on large lights because they’re easy to access in most grips and provide full control over the light with one hand.

Carry & Ergonomics

Ergonomics are good. It’s very comfortable to hold in a forward grip and even works well in a reverse grip for me. I find it more comfortable to hold and use without the handle.

Batteries & Charging

Battery: Cells are optionally included. My sample came with EVE 50E unprotected flat tops that do the job. Convoy includes a helpful spacer for using unprotected flat top cells. Unprotected button tops will work fine too, without the spacer. Protected cells may fit, but I don’t have any on hand to test with. If you charge the batteries outside the light, make sure they are all at the same voltage when you install them. They’re connected in parallel, so they don’t have to all be the same make, model, and age, but that’s ideal. It’s possible to run on 1-2 cells if they have a high enough drain rating.

Charging is facilitated by a USB-C port on the side of the light. It’s covered by a large silicone flap that’s reasonably secure, but I wouldn’t take it diving. Charging took 7.5 hours from a 15W source with these batteries. It’s fully functional while charging and C-to-C cables work fine. There’s an 18W powerbank function too, which is great.

Indicators: There are charging status indicators under the switch (red means charging, green means full). I wish they would activate while the light is in use so I didn’t have to use the voltage readout mode to check the battery status.

Competition

Here are some lights in the same class and how they compare.

Acebeam K75 V2: premium alternative

• over 3x the price
• larger head for around 2x the candela
• same LED
• higher quality driver and better thermal performance (I suspect, I haven’t tested one)
• uses four 18650 batteries (optionally included)
• no integrated charging

Convoy L7: traditional-shape alternative

• similar price
• same LED available
• traditional large Maglite shape & size
• smaller head and less throw
• uses two 26650/26800 cells in series (optionally included)
• traditional dual-switch UI
• no integrated charging

Convoy L8: single-cell alternative

• lower price
• 26800 battery included
• lower-quality FET driver
• smaller head and less throw
• same side switch & UI
• has integrated charging, but no powerbank function

This section is not comprehensive. If I didn’t include a particular light here, it doesn’t mean it’s bad or doesn’t deserve to be here. I simply cannot list every possible competitor.

Conclusion

3X21D gives you a lot of bang for your buck. A good design, nearly a million candela, integrated charging, powerbank, and even batteries optionally included for around $100. My only gripes are the lack of an external battery indicator and some of the quirky UI behaviors. I love the performance, ergonomics, integrated charging, and low price! I think this is the most compelling large thrower on the market right now because it’s such a high value for money, and it will be replacing the Sofirn SP60 in my personal collection for the foreseeable future.

Thanks to Convoy for sending me this light for review!