How much is the XM-L U2 better then the XM-L T6, in real world tests (mounted in a flashlight)?
Like a Cree 4X XM-L U2 verses a Cree 4X XL-L T6?
You won’t be able to see a “real” difference.
Our eyes aren’t good enough to see a difference between 100 lumens more or less.
It depends if all else stays the same.
In theory the XM-L2 is brighter and more efficient than the XM-L, so you should get more output and better runtimes.
Of course if you drive each LED differently, then the difference may be greater or less.
U2 is also a higher bin than T6.
So in simple terms yes, it should be brighter and I personally suspect you should be able to tell by eye, although it’ll be a more “umm yes it is brighter”, rather than a “wow!!! loads brighter”.
It’s a question from which answer I always looked for, and never found.
Anyway I ended up thinking that a better color rendering is much more valuable than few lumens more. considering the nearest bins.
I hate to perceive all flattened up by those greenish or bluish color rendintions
@Chicken Drumstick I think he asked about XM-L (1)
Oops yes.
Sorry though it was XM-L2 U2.
But XM-L U2 vs XM-L T6.
The U2 and T6 are both brightness bins. U2 is higher, but it isn’t by a massive amount.
That said, you could have a T6 at the top of the scale and a U2 at the bottom, which means they’d be almost identical.
U2 was I think only available in CW for the most part. While T6 bins could be has in NW and maybe even WW as well as CW. So if they are different tint, then they may look different, even if the output is the same.
And lastly, how trusting are you? There is no way of visually ID’ing a brightness bin, you have to trust the seller/maker that they are telling you the truth, which they might not. So those U2’s might actually be something else entirely, as too could the T6’s.
Yep, but if it would be me, I would bet more on the t6 as it is more mass used everywhere so it could be “more” real imho 0:)
I personally wouldn’t spend the extra money for the gain.
This might help
+1. You probably won't be able to see the difference unless you compared them back-to-back, and even then the difference will be very slight.
What about efficiency, is that to close to make much difference also?
Too close is relative.
If you are this curious about it, my advice is to buy an XM-L light as well as some XM-L2 emitters on MCPCB. Swap in the XM-L2 emitters and experience the difference for yourself.
T6 to U2 is one output bin, or about 7% difference. Impossible to tell with the naked eye and difficult to measure with a good meter.
Going from XM-L T6 to XM-L2 U2 would be around 19% more output.