Yes it will only make sense on direct drive. The NI40 SBT90 pulls 22 with a 40T. Would really appreciate it if you could make a FET/DD SBT90 version :laughing:
Could also make it regulated but have turbo in direct drive.
Looks great Hank, a real eye opener that I will surely have to buy as soon as it’s listed! Somebody PM me when it goes on sale please so I don’t sleep through it. C? Wake me up man! Lol
If the Osram/SST20 version was buck / boost, I would have had a hard time deciding which to get.
Based on the two options, the decision is easy for me, XHP35 all the way.
I hope Hank offers the XHP35 version with warm white 80 and 90 CRI options.
As others have mentioned, warm white penetrates fog so much better. I also find it adds contrast and definition.
Looking forward to see the numbers on throw and lumens. I suspect the XHP35 will be about twice as bright (lumens) as the 3V version, with similar throw.
For 2700K, the SST-20 version could be the best bet, as it has deeper reds, than XHP35 HI (I would still take a 2700K XHP35 HI 90CRI, if it were offered).
For 3500K and 4000K, SST-20 has again strikingly good tint. I have SST-20 3500K and 4000K in Convoy C8 at 3.5A, and the tints I got for these CCT are definitely greenish/yellowish, when driven at low currents, but at 3.5A and above, even these can improve a lot, and they can be feel as almost spot on BBL with reflectors (with TIR, the situation would not be near this good).
If there could be a buck driver for the 3V LEDs instead of a linear driver, then these variants could have noticeably better runtimes on the highest setting, before temperature regulation starts to kick in. It is another question, that maybe a good buck driver around 4.5-5A could be more expensive - personally, I could justify 7-10 extra $ per unit, if I could buy these with a buck driver.
Regarding only efficiency (as of current driver options), I would also vote for the XHP35 HI variants (one 3500K 90CRI and one 4500K 90CRI for sure) - if I take throw/heat ratio, the SST-20 should win, but I guess, not with a linear driver.
In addition, it’s super hard to get a reading because there’s a slight tinge of yellow in the hot spot and I guess my hand is not steady enough to not have “inconsistent reading” like 3/4 of the time.
Hank, if you can source any A or D tint XHP35 HI 80CRI, that would be awesome. If you offer it with the good bins, I’m sure many people will buy multiple emitter versions of this light.