Thank you! This is perfect. I ordered one SP36. I prefer the wider beam.
I finally received a Sofirn SP36 yesterday - ordered 11/11.
Packaged came a bit banged as usual but no issues. I dropped in a trio of 35E BT, because i’m out of 30Qs BT right now - where did they all go?… And put it on USB charging right away. My USB tester reports 1.5A at 5V. After a few hours of red switch light i got impatient and finished charging the cells on a charger at 1A per cell.
I like this “sub-Q8” format and the USB charging.
After a very quick first run i’m pleased with the ease of use and output. Just like the Q8 just a bit smaller and lighter.
However, i’m not so sure about tint and color shifts… The overall feel is NW it seems, but with quite some yellow in a central hotspot and outer ring, and then some other bluish colors… Not that great. Outdoor it does not show so much though.
I haven’t compared it to the BLF Q8 yet, but it fares very well so far.
I’d be glad to hear about other’s experience with the USB charging. When does it stop for instance. I’ll try it out for sure. That’s one of the reason i bought that light. I want to make sure it works properly.
Yeah, the XP-L2 beam/tints won't look good in any reflector light. I wish they just went with something like the 351D 4000K's, or XPL HI's, but the big output #'s of the XP-L2's is hard to deny. The SST-40's may be more lumens, but then you got to go with the full blue CW.
Well, the 5000k 70CRI LH351Ds are the most efficient non 12V LEDs, with W6 bins available for it, and producing the most light for a 3535 3V emitter.
Ahh, ok - I didn't get that memo. I saw/read the TA test, and didn't see those specific facts mentioned. Where is this mentioned/tested/proved/compared? Searching BLF on LH351D 5000K doesn't result in much.
I got the 4000K 90+ CRI ones and really like the beam/tint in reflectors.
From comparing djozz's SST-40 test vs. TA's 351D 5000K (unknown bin??) test, looks like the SST-40 beats it for max output, at about 9 amps? What am I missing?
LH351D 5000k:
XP-L2 V5:
The LH351D 70CRI is slightly more efficient than the XP-L2 in most cases, unless you are going crazy with direct drive, but then, efficiency takes a nose dive with the XP-L2.
Seems like the lower thermal resistance of the LH351D really helps in at higher lumen levels. At 6A, the LH351D produces 180 lumens more than the XP-L2, which is really helpful for maximum thermal dissapation.
What about the SST-40?
The SST-40 is a 5050 LED with an even larger die, and with only 6500k+ options, it’s not a good choice for me.
Then again, I’m not Olight and putting a 7500k emitter in an EDC light 
Yes, all true! Not sure how the 351D 5000K does head to head against a XP-L2 V6 5000K in a FET light or mod. Should have advantages in beam/tint, but not sure of output because of comparative Vf. I might even have C8F triples or Q8's to compare. Either way, sounds like the 351D 5000K would be a superior choice for this light.
Again, it's weird why the 351D 5000K hasn't gotten more attention here. I just checked my order history and I bought these from DigiKey a while back: SPHWHTL3DA0CF4RTW6, qty 10 -- when I get a chance, I'll check where I used them - think in a C8F triple.
Following up on my post two days ago about my very first impressions after a quick run…
I took out the SP36 along with an original BLF Q8 and the SP36 tint is definitely on the CW side. Other then that, beams and output are very similar. However, the colder tint makes the beam more visible and blurs a bit the scene. I’m no doubt a NW guy!
I did a full charge via USB. Using the provided cable it reached 1.9A on my USB meter. When it was done, cells read 4.24V on both my Opus BT-C3100 and a decent DMM. It seems a bit high. I’d rather have the charging stop at 4.15 for safety.
How’s yours doing?
As long as the final charge voltage does not exceed 4,25V, you are good.
4.24 vs a 4.25 limit is a tad close for confort IMO…
Doesn’t it put extra stress on the cell, shortening it’s lifespan too?
Shouldn’t noticeably so, as it is noted in the datasheet.
This is why programmable voltage chargers are so useful, and why I don’t like USB lights anymore IMO. I usually charge my cells at 4,1V unless I want max power/max capacity(BLF Q8), so getting extra cycle life is very nice.
Tom, I put the LH351D W6 5000K in my D4S and it makes a little over 6000 lumens. I have used quite a few of both the W6 5000K and an 80 CRI U6 5000K and I like the color profile better from the W6 even though it’s only 70 CRI. I also have the 80 CRI version in my scratch built 18500 Ti Cu Quad EDC, just LOVE the beam profile even though it’s a little warmer than I typically prefer.
I tried a few of the 80 CRI variant, then bought 25 of each to play with. I’m out of the W6 and only have a few of the U6 80 CRI left. Really enjoying them…
As a matter of fact, the Samsungs are the driving force behind my 25,427 lumen 458 Ham’r, with no less than 8 of them in the array of 17 emitters… 4 U6 80 CRI and 4 W6 70 CRI.
I managed to remove the driver and swap the leds on my SP36, I put four XPL-HI V3 3C 5000k
I’m seeing 3800lm and 450m. I was expecting a little more
however the beam is much better and also the tint
I’m glad the loop method worked for you. My driver was not glued back because it sticks in well enough by friction, how is yours?
My SP36 has sliced high CRI LH351D leds and makes even less light, around 3000 lumen. This output I think suits the size of this light well enough.
I’m glad I went all good tint and high CRI, but the 5000 lumen stock setup is also a nice one, and tough to improve.
I'm wondering how LH351D 5.000K 70CRI with W6 bin would perform in the SP36. In terms of maximum output they seem to be at least as good as XP-L2 but without significant tint shift. Maybe this could be intriguing for DB Custom as he has managed to create a "Ham'r" and a boosted D4S with this Samsung LED.
With similar output those would be an improvement over stock, the larger die could make it slightly less throwy.
But to be honest the beam from the stock XP-L2 leds I found much less distracting than I thought it would be. All the tint changes typical for the XP-L2 are there in the beam but overall the beam just looks fairly ok to me.
My driver also sticks well without adding glue again, it’s a tight fit
I prefer the beam of the HIs rather than the extra lumen from the XPl2, but I was hoping for more than 500m (the sofirn Q8 makes 700m)
You could do the Q8 ritual of bypassing springs and use thicker shorter ledwires, and get a few more lumens out of it. But the 3-battery situation will inevitably be a bit less powerfull than the 4 batteries of the Q8.