Your question is very broad, and there are a lot of factors, including terminology that you will need to learn in order to communicate effectively.
Tint is misused by almost everyone, when the correct term is Color Temperature.
Color temperatures include
Warm White (3000k is an example of Warm White)
and
Cool White (6000k is an example of Cool White),
and
Neutral White, (4500k is an example of Neutral White)
Neutral is also used in reference to Tint, but Neutral White, and Neutral Tint are two totally different things.
Tint is an important variable. In the above image, the CW has Green Tint, plus it is Low CRI.
Look at the red coral, which LED makes the red look best to you?
> So group, learn me on tint preference over cri rating, can a high cri be a bad thing if the tint is not preferable?
High CRI is an independent variable, assuming you want it (I do)
you will want to start with a Color Temperature you like, that is available in High CRI
then among the High CRI options in your chosen color temperature, you will want to choose a Tint you like
for example, a 4000k neutral white XP-L is typically Low CRI and has nasty yellowish green tint
4000k is also a popular High CRI color temperature, the Nichia 219b 4000k is a typical example of one that tends to have pink tint
then there is the 4000k SST-20 and LH351d. Both have tint that is more green than a 219b.
> I owned an HDS HI cri 3000K many years ago
ok, lets start there.
3000k is a Color Temperature (tint is something else, generally it involves either green tint, or pink tint… and for gods sake dont even try to use creamy white as a tint)
the CRI of the XPG HDS used was about 83 CRI Ra (Ra means average), there is also to me, an even more important kind of CRI, called CRI R9 (R9 is the Red output)
some “High CRI” LEDs have CRI Ra of 90, and CRI R9 of 50
your HDS may have had a CRI RaR9 of 8350, where 83 is the typical CRI most often referred to, it is Ra, not R9. The 50 in the 8350 is the R9.
you may need to be repeatedly exposed to these concepts for your brain to start to grasp the distinctions
so, here I show you an XP-G like HDS used, an 8350, (these were nominally actually 3200 Kelvin Color Temperature), next to a N219b 3000k 9080, that you can buy from Andy Zhu in the classifieds
I like the slightly more pink tint of the XPG, but that LED is NLA
the 3000k 219b looks “warmer” (yellower color temperature), but also yellower Tint.
> Next question while I have your attention, where can I browse/ research emitters, drivers, parts to perform my own custom mods?
first pick one specific light you think you want to modify and determine if it is a suitable host. Some lights cannot be opened in a non destructive manner, so modding them may be out of the question. Some lights have an LED board that is not compatible with the new LED you want to use, so you have to also buy a new MCPCB to reflow the LED onto
then determine what Color Temperature you want.
then buy LEDs from Andy Zhu.
My two favorites are the 219b 3000k 9080
and my top pick the 219b 4500k 9080
welcome to the conversation
this board is extremely modding savvy
the questions you need to answer are
what light do you think you want to mod
what LED Color Temperature do you think want to use.
Will you tolerate green tint in order to have higher lumen output?
references
incandescent light bulbs have a color temperature of 2700 to 3000k (Warm White)
sunlight has a color temperature of about 5000k to 5700k (Daylight White)
When your brain has its white balance set to Daylight, it will see Warm White as very yellowish. Otoh, when your brain has its white balance set to Warm White, it will see a Cool White LED as very blueish.
Since you mention you have several lights with 4000k Color Temperature, what LED models are they, and how do you feel about them?