XM-L vs XP-L

Really? I’ll be danged.

I might very be wrong or partially wrong.

When I looked things up my conclusion was:

a larger hot spot/floodier/lower driven amperage, the XML2 was on paper “better” (V8)

The

XPL2

more of a small spot/throwier/better performing if pushing hard, on paper “better” (V6 with a turbo)

mainly similure output but “feel” different

XM-L/2 looks better :slight_smile:

i love V8s, i don’t like V6s, but mainly due to sound.
if they both do the same work with no sound, would i know the difference?
how do XMLs look better? please explain to a novice.
thanks

And from what I hear, the XP-L line has horrible tint shifts.

XML2 has the same tint shift, XPL2 worse

Just a personal preference :smiley:

Does the tint shifts also apply to the XPL-HI? I have only one with XPL-HI (doesn’t shift that much, as far as I perceive) and another on the way, and I’m curious to know if they shift as much as the others!
Thanks in advance :+1:

An SMO reflector can mess up tint so much I guess the LED choice wouldn’t even matter that much in this aspect

XPL HI has very little tintshift

Is it due to be “dedomed”?

Haven’t noticed much with the XP-L HI but tried an XP-L2 in a reflector and hated it.

again, complete newb here, but i don’t understand cri, tint shift and so on.
for my project i only care about illumination to navigate. is cri. etc. something i should be concerned about? i’ve noticed on the flashlight forums, cri gets more attention than anything.
thanks

If illumination for navigation is the goal, neither tint shift or CRI is something to be concerned about. There is a discussion that neutral white is easier for the eyes than cool white light, but even that is a matter of preference.
So in your case just ignore the bunch of tint snobs around here (me being one of them :innocent: )

Depends what you’re navigating through, woods, rocky terrain, snow, outdoor uneven natural surfaces you would appreciate a high CRI neutral tint for better perception of depth etc. I’ve found myself in electrical cupboards on a few occasions with just a 6500K 1A tint feeling like I’m in some action movie unable to distinguish which wire is what colour :laughing:

Hah, same here :smiley:

Rule of thumb is: those yellow streetlights have very low CRI, so everything seems like the same yellow color. CFL lamps are cool white with mediocre CRI, so it bleaches everything pale but lets you tell your reds from your yellows and your blues from your greens. Daylight, on the other end of the comparison, is when you see the TRUE colors of whatever you’re looking at - it has the highest CRI in the scale.

Found myself in the same situation in telephone closets.
Wasn’t good at all distinguishing those pairs, being washed out and all. I had another light with better CRI and issue was resolved. Huge difference in this instance.

CRI is how well color gets reflected, LEDs come usually from 70s to 80s, but high CRI options are not uncommon (CRI over 90). The higher, the more vivid, but it’s a matter of personal preference how much weight you give to CRI when selecting an emitter.

Tint shift is the difference in tint from the center of the beam to the outer edge of the spill, and this changes with LED, reflector/optics type and material, weather the emitter was dedomed or not, if the front glass has anti-reflective coating or not. If the hotspot is blueish, the corona gets yellow and the spill gets green, for example, it will be an ugly light, so ideally you get the tint you prefer with little shift as possible

In my experience, CRI matters very little. I suppose its helpful if you’re viewing art or are a photography, but in most cases its irrelevant.

On the other hand, Tint makes a much bigger difference. Cool tints make outdoor terrain look flat and are harsh on the eyes. Neutral tints look much more pleasant and make it easier to resolve objects you’re looking at. Warm tints are also very pleasant outdoors, but look too orange indoors.

you ever saw greenish pale skin on a NW CRI70 LED compared to a decent CRI80 or CRI90 LED with more red