Combination of XHP35 with relatively deep reflector in center and 7-9 STT20 with TIR optic around it is also good idea. But will need big head. Minimum 7cm.
I agree, Q8 was a great time at the time of release and it still does.
There’s a space for many soda can lights and we could do a few more. These wouldn’t be the next-Q8 but rather something to cover a somewhat different niche.
Another flashlight with s huge head does not appeal to me….or maybe others too.
The Q8 may be “throwy” to some but to me, it’s the perfect balance between throw and flood. As an outdoor security light, it’s perfect. Let’s face it, most of us aren’t patrolling 2000 acre ranches, more like suburban homes with the need to flood the area and see out to 300 feet.
Also, 5000 lumens to 6500 lumens is a waste of time. The human eye can barely make that comparison. Double is absolute MINIMUM.
The size of the Q8 is just about perfect. Small enough to be in a handy place and carry, big enough to put out huge lumens.
I’m not grabbing the BLF GT brother to investigate a noise or carry as an emergency light in the car.
So the challenge would be 3 times as much with very little size difference.
Can it be done?
3x XHP50.2 3V with all bypasses, you can do the mod yourself with the Led4Power Q8 board, you get 12,000+ lumen, floody, ugly rainbow beam and an incredibly fast heating flashlight.
Why would I want to do that and not buy another light?
Sure, we can make any light ourselves, so why bother buying new lights? Or why bother asking Sofirn to modify lights for ever tinier niche markets?
The idea here is to take advantage of next gen batteries and up the output……for a reasonable cost.
Not without completely sacrificing beam intensity by using larger/more emitters, and also demolishing your runtimes due to heat and battery drain. So you might have double the output but no more throw and you cut the time you can run at that level down significantly.
Just look at something like the MT03 or MT09, those are as big or bigger than the Q8 and have turbo times similar to the D4 due to the heat. Absolutely “burst” modes.
I think 3x18650 format (or option to swap on a single 26650 tube?), Anduril instead of Narsil, USB charging and other emitter options are the only real changes that could improve on the Q8 right now and the SP36 already has at least two of those covered. I’ve heard modding it is harder though, Sofirn could certainly work on that.
SP36…but 5000 lumens to 6000 lumens is negligible to the eye.
Heat and battery drain is what one makes of it.
I’ve used the Q8 twice for emergencies on about 3 months. Full blast for 3-4 minutes.
By definition, emergencies like investigating a break in are short affairs that need maximum light. Emergencies like power outages are covered by powering down.
18650s can’t match 21700. I have to check it out, but I’m pretty sure 3 21700 are smaller diameter then 4 18650s.
As you said, there is the SP36, the next light on my buy list. But then, I want the bigger, next gen brother.
Slightly bigger if i’m not wrong with my paint skills :
So, if we want to kept head size and have same throw but more lumen should use 4 x XHP35.
Or, I am wrong.
What about 6x18650 in 2s3p ?
As far as using a few large emitters with higher power, check out Haikelite.
4x XHP35 HI is interesting, and I can't think of competitors off the top of my head. Driver will be interesting, though.
Could elevate soda can to coffee can, and do 4x 21700 and maybe an extra XHP35 or two... But nobody wants to hold that.
As it is, the Q8 hits a really nice spot for practicality as well as sustained output. I feel like any brighter is just 15-second show-off mode. The other nice thing about the Q8 is how easily modded it is, especially with Led4Power's board available.
Your skills are fine. You miss some space between the cells so you can actually insert them but the conclusion is correct.
What would we be looking at lumen-wise?
Goggle “circle packing”. 3 circles in a larger one has a lower “packing density” than 4 circles in the same-sized larger one (65% vs 69%. respectively). So 3×21700s would just about fit the same size can as 4×18650. Okay, so 4000mAH for 21700s (12AH total), vs 3000mAH for a decent 18650 (umm, also 12AH total). It’s a wash at best.
Lots easier to find 4 18650s than 3 21700s, and I’m not even sure if the latter comes in buttontops.
10k driven hard at start
So one of the issues of using XHP35 leds is they only come in 12V, right?
Not if we have 4x18650 in serial connection.
Having more lumens is great, but not if they don’t go where you want them to. Any increase in emitter size or number will lead to a floodier beam, unless the reflectors are made proportionally larger too.
I don’t see the benefit unless you want more floody lighting (there are options for that already) or bigger numbers on the spec sheet just to have them.
Any successor to the Q8 needs to be have practical improvements on the positive qualities the current model has IMO.
I was looking Samsung 48G 21700 4800mAh. 14400mah available. I think there is also some 5200mah batteries. Above the best 18650.
Not huge, but there.
The 21700 is not mandatory, but it’s the latest size for high volume.
In a flashoholic forum, I’m suprised on the amount of why instead of the why not!
If we can land a man on the moon….Shirley we can come up with a better soda can.
