I modded a little Tool Ti with this led. These flashlights on an alkaline or Eneloop usually run the led at around 300mA, which is a nice current for the SunLike. I reflowed the led on the stock XP board (non-DTP), on which the led sat itself a mm off-center. I grinded the side of the board to make the led still sit in the center of the flashlight head. I did not get it completely centered, but it looked like the beam was about as good as it could be.
Although the colour performance of this SunLike led is good, both from above and to the side, the behaviour in a reflector has more to it, it also depends on the spatial distribution of brightness and tint within the led. And there is lots of variation over the die, cooler tint and brighter in the center, and more orange and dimmer to the side. And this shows in the beam: as least as much tint shift as a XP-G3, but hey, the corona is not green or yellow but a pleasant 2700K peach colour , with a 4000K in the center of the hotspot, and 3300K in the spill. A quite fun beam actually, not boring at least, and hotspot, peach corona and spill all still measure over 97 CRI with 90+ R9.
Here’s the beam of the SunLike (bottom right) compared to 80CRI 3500K Luxeon Q (bottom left, lots of tint shift too), and 90CRI 4000K 219C (top). The picture does not show the true tints but it gives an idea.
I guess there isn’t much chance of hurting it in a 1S Li-Ion powered flashlight, since the Vf gets out of range of the cell before the LED gets to be in real danger. But the light output is ridiculously low, even at the peak output. {EDIT: It looks to be around 65 lm/W at the peak.} What would be the use case for this LED in a flashlight?
Although I like how it turned out in the Tool mod (indeed about 50 lumen on high) the best way it can be used in a flashlight is the same way as the Optisolis: multi-led and lots of diffusing.
How do you get to the LED in a Tool? I tried it in the EDC01 which looks like it’s set up the same and ripped out the driver
PM me if you don’t want to take this thread off topic.
On topic though… i would use this LED just for the lack of cyan dip (though ideally i’d like a little more violet, but that’s just me being fussy). I rarely use more than 50 lumens, and it might work better behind the pebbled TIR in the EDC01
The Tool Ti is a bit different, it has a brass pill that does not screw into the head, but on one side the battery tube is screwed on the pill, and on the other side the bezel is screwed on. Easy to mod (if your led refows centered that is ).
The beam will certainly be cleaner from a pebbled TIR optic.
Thanks for the test Djozz, I saw this LED earlier. The symmetrical dual dies beam looks a tad better than Optisolis indeed. I can’t see it from your pictures but I bet there must be cheerful rainbow party in the beam. Any TIR optic with heavy micro lensed surface will cure the beam easily, just don’t expect clean narrow beam.
If only the voltage is at least the same as Optisolis, which already too high for most EDC lights, this could be a better alternative than Optisolis. Output wise, it’s very good compared to warm Optisolis.
These Sunlike and Optisolis are (still) the misfits in our flashlighting world. Their native territory are those in general lighting as groups or clusters behind diffused optics.
No they are not suitable for flashlights, just the extreme good CRI makes it tempting to try to fit them anyway. But I like the Tool Ti as it is now with peach-coloured corona. I may make a 4000 lumen quad flashlight out of these as well, with OP reflector and heavily frosted lens.
Thanks for the info Djozz, my copper Tool looks to be the same as my EDC01, i’d rather they were like your Ti Tool!
I really like the look of these LEDs, appreciate the review. Do you think having the LED extend into the reflector rather than sit behind it would make much difference?
It has a rather defined hotspot actually so the focus seems about right.
If you do this mod you must realise that the led-minus pad is soldered onto the thermal pad of the XP-board and you have to make electrical contact between thermal pad and the led-minus of the ledboard. I did that in a rather clumsy way that I do not recommend (a little wire that of course got in the way of the center piece.)
I looked at the color spectrum in the datasheet. I still see a peak at 450nm (blue wavelength). I thought these use violet pump instead of the typical blue. But still the amount of blue light emitted is incredibly low for the CCT. Great for use before sleep.
The pump is nearly violet though, looks like about 420 nm, just like the cool Optisolis CCT’s. The peak at 450nm I would expect to be the first fluorescence peak.
First of all I do not like to exceed recommended ma.How long will leds last at 400ma,more than twice that recommended. 3000 hours,5000? I think not more than that. Unacceptable period for me.
Better to get 1w and use them at 250ma they will last at least 40.000 hours maybe even more.
, with a 4000K in the center of the hotspot, and 3300K in the spill. A quite fun beam actually, not boring at least, and hotspot, peach corona and spill all still measure over 97 CRI with 90+ R9.
).