Would it be possible to replace the leds in this flashlight with CREE XML leds?
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.30683
Because that would be the flashlight i would want to have!
--> hint hint to DX and KD
It'd be possible.
But
The result would be a 50W light.
At 8V that'd be 6-7amps. That is rather more than it would be safe to pull out of lithium cobalt cells. The voltage will drop hard at that sort of current draw, but will most likely stay above the forward voltage of the LEDs.
Runtime would be about 20 minutes but heat would probably mean it'd be usable for less than that. Cooking lithium cells is not a good idea.
Heatsinking it would be very, very hard at full output.
Damn :(
That 5 LED dropin can be modified to fit in a Maglite. If you happen to have a 3D Mag, you could run 4Cs or 3Ds -probably better with 4Cs on thermal grounds. You are asking a lot of the cells, about 15-18 amps but you can get Sub-C cells good for 35A easily and cheaply enough. Runtime will not be long but it will be fearsomely bright.
Anything needing 50 watts is going to get hot and have a short runtime, but it would be a lot of fun!
Pffff, this one has 9 LEDs! Should be almost as bright.
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.1255
:bigsmile:
And will run for longer. 
HA coated? XD
Don't know - mine is coated in green fluorescent rubber ;)
Mine is coated in garbage, because I threw it out months ago. Authentic piece of junk, not worth the 3xAAA batteries it takes to run it.
Oh lets wait a weirdo who put togther a 7x XM-L flashlight powered by a miniature nuclear reactor.
id say the 3d mag option would be perfect!
its on my considered list lol
It is not going to be cheap...
But it ought to be good for 3-4000 lumens, just not for all that long.
Once you found a good host AND driver AND power source you will need a good switch that can handle the current.
If you fit the XM-Ls to the host linked in your first post without any other changes you should have a brighter light, but the XM-Ls will not come to their full potential.
It was not meant for you. :) You are still being at the edge or reason :)
Be carefull with the 3x 18650 setup... it might get nasty if one cell fails.
I was refeering to this kind of projects:
Ow owkey.. 
Still i do think these things are going to come out eventually...
heatsinking 5 XML's in 1 flashlight could not be so hard i think just take something like a olight SR91's collosal heatsink 
Try this host:
http://www.qualitychinagoods.com/xtar-2300l-outdoor-diving-flashlight-torch-p-1778.html
Can be had for much less around.
Its 3x MCE instead of 5 as you wanted but its got a nice reflector and you have 3x2 18650 in series od onyl 2. No kaboom ready but plenty of mAh.
With 3 XM-L at 4A each (if heatsinking allows) can be a monster!
I played alot with XTAR flashlights and i can tell you that the few i had pleasure to play with were very nicely made. (B01, A01, TZ50, D01) Never played with a D31 tho...
Welcome CampingLED! Good to have you here.
Maglite switches are, or at least used to be good for 10-12A. These days they seem to be making them cheaper. And worse.
But power supply and drivers are a bigger problem.
Aloha and welcome to BLF CampingLED!
That does look like a lot of fun... I guess if you tried to run XM-Ls in a head like that you could rig up a couple of cooling fans, a nice peltier, heck, carry around a mini refrigerator to put it in!