I'm not really getting all that excited with the latest emitters. I have XR-E (XP-E), XP-G and one XM-L (and MC-E in a dive light). No SST-50/90 P7 and the one XM-L I have was just out of curiosity.
I don't have any interest in larger flashlights so improvements in emitters ability to take more current (and produce more lumens) doesn't do anything for me.
XR-E is great for throw and XP-G is great for a general purpose light with some throw. I can put a diffuser over a XP-G and it more or less becomes a XM-L :)
I try to stay with single 18650 in a large (for me) light and single AA or AAA for smaller lights even though they aren't as optimal for emitters as CR123.
Everything that interests me as far as battery sizes/types and emitters was available "yesterday". I'm sure innovation will continue but my needs are already met. Innovation will solve problems for some but those are problems that I don't need to be solved.
Lights with more lumens just seem like having an air conditioner and leaving the back door open...you can try to cool the entire outside but it's a rapidly diminishing game as anyone knows after buying a light that should be much brighter on paper but isn't when you get it...it just uses batteries faster :)
How about you? Are you close to being satisfied or are you waiting for something on the horizon?
(I feel a reply regarding tint and high CRI coming on) :)
I was sort of thinking the same thing. After purchasing 30+ lights in the last 8 months I wonder if I should stop buying for awhile. Most I don't use at all. I wonder what is next on the horizon.
I like throw as well as lumens. That is why I like stuff like TK70 instead of SR90. So the future is still exciting for me. I got introduced to the hobby via the HID way in 2005.
Hope we have LEP soon. No heat issue like with LEDs. HIDs like it hot......it goes up to 120lm/W (Real) with the 100W with good bulbs like Philips.
It's not so much the larger die that is the problem it's that they're dimmer. If they were large and had greater surface brightness...great :)
However, I like flood for most uses but there are already plenty of those. I like greater efficiency as well. Greater and greater output though doesn't do much for me at this point. I don't need a light unless it's dark and if it's dark 300 lumens is more than enough for my uses. More output just means a bigger flashlight to carry around :)
Throw is only a small part of what I need a light for but it's more interesting to talk about than flood :) Flood for me is most any light with a diffuser!