Oh, man, I love the XM-L's... finally something bright enough that it works for my abysmal night vision. I don't like laser spots either... give me flood any time. And the lights I modded won't become obsolete 'cause I won't need to change poor emitters.
With the Ledil Booms I use, (MCE-S) the triples I've done are unbeatable... there is a big, soft hotspot, not distractive, that merges beautifully into a huge, bright flood. Not just "useful spill" which is another way of saying "the spill isn't worth a s**t but I don't wanna admit it" but really bright flooding.
Tint variations from hotspot to spill get taken care of with the Ledils or an OP reflector.
If you are after a nice tint you have to put up with a pronounced tint shift with the XMLs , Even the neutral ones . White hotspot , yellowish corona , purple fringe in the spill .
My solution is to diffuse my XMLs , which nicely blends the beam into an even color .
XMLs are floody anyway , so diffusing them makes a beautiful floody and artifact- free beam profile .
I suppose I've become a bit of a snob about tint and beam profile .
That's the downside of the XM-L and even XP-G... the wide beam angle needs a large reflector to get some throw (C8 and bigger). I am looking forward to emitters which can produce the XM-L output on an XP-E die area without thermal issues. I really like the XP-E beam profile in my smaller lights.(my keychains, E21, EW J09, Skyray S-A1). Weren't there plans from Cree to make XP-G- or XM-L-like emitters with a primary optic like the XR-E has?... I could have sworn I read about it somewhere.
I have the TrustFire X9. Given the 59mm head diameter, I bought it for throw, but I'm disappointed.
With less than 2A draw (eBay version) it actually does throw far enough for my needs, meaning that a target at about 150m gets enough light.
Problem is the spill, or more precisely the bright and wide corona that persists even in this reflector size. Viewing along the beam line (i.e. holding the lamp at waist level), the distant target image isn't crisp enough to reveal detail, but rather hazy instead, due to atmospheric light scatter. If an assistant holds the light and I move sideways 5-7m, only then the target image will be nice and sharp. In normal use, my XR-E throwers provide more image resolution (better detail recognition), regardless of lux on target.
I'll try to convert my X9 to an off-focus aspheric to get rid of that spill.
i think the definition of "essay" includes that it has to be long. for example, if i write 3 standard sentences (not overly long, not overly short), nobody would or could call it an essay.
nice short essay. have to like it *g* (my XML's are eagletac (whiteish), xeno (warmish), quark (greenish) -- all with different tints)
I'm with the OP, I love XM-L's. My neighbors are always surprised when they see me with a 'tiny' Solarforce L2 that lights up my entire front 1/3 acre, I think I have sold a lot of lights for Solarforce-sales. My best throwers are also XM-L's ; Two C8-style lights and my TK41. They aren't "pencil beams" by any means, but they throw as far as I can imagine I would ever want without going to a full HID-style spotlight.
I love XM-L's. But I also love XP-G's, XR-E's and XP-E's Its all a case of horses for courses. Each has its strengths and weaknesses. Just as does a SMO reflector or an OP reflector or an Aspherical lens or a TIR lens.
This obsession, interest, passion or hobby that we all share is surely all about understanding all the pro's and con's of the various components and then selecting the ingredients we want for the particular meal we are preparing at the time. Yes, its true, the XM-L may well be a delicious piece of T-bone Steak but it sure as hell don't cut the mustard when you're looking to produce a Waldorf Salad. There really is no universal emitter yet, not even the XM-L.
I mentioned this elsewhere, but it's useful information -- if you're not happy with a cool white XM-L, try using a Lee Filters #774: Soft Amber Key 1. You can simply cut a circle the right size from a Lee sample book, and place it behind the lens. This filter has a slight frosting, so if colors or artefacts continue to stick out, it will diffuse them a bit. It rendered my Manafont Ultrafire XM-L pretty much neutral -- there's a slight bit of green in the corona, and magenta in the spill, but it's more than acceptable.
(I've experimented with everything. This filter gets me closest to the neutral XM-L in my Balder SE-1.)
I think you can still get a sample book free if you contact Lee Filters; otherwise you can order the "Designers Edition" here for $3.50:
fair enough, and i agree with all of your points. i still like throwers, and less bright emitters for smaller AA lights, but i primarily like LUMENS, and in medium/small, easy to carry lights, nothing beats a well driven xm-l. just my two cents of course.
I like the XM-L better, regardless of application. Even though it may require a larger reflector for example, I still prefer it to throwers with other emitters. Having said that, whenerver I doubt XR-E performance, I break out my little used MPP 1 to remind me just how bright the surface of an emitter can get.
that's one of the reasons i like smaller die emitters. color is usually way more consistent across the entire beam. i can always slap a diffuser on it if i need flood.
i'd probably feel differently if i needed big lumens, but i rarely really need more than 200 for the stuff that i do.