I know the world has moved on to the XHP series but I’m still using P60’s . I have a XP-L HI drop in that I like. I see some XP-L2 drop ins listed for sale and am wondering if they are offering a XP-L2 HI version yet? If so, which dealer?
Is there any better LED drop in for the P60’s? Thanks
No, there are no XP-L2 HI. These LEDs intrinsically have low intensity and removing the dome won’t change that, so it’s unlikely that HI variant will ever appear.
So the XP-L HI I own are no brighter than a normal XP-L? Is there anything brighter than an XP-L or L2 for a P60 now? I have not been following the flashlight technology for the last year so I am behind the curve on the latest and greatest.
Most of my Flashlights are Solarforce P60’s which I like very much and it is too bad that Solarforce is transitioning out of the flashlight business.
Kaidomain used to have brighter (>1000 lumen) drop ins, as did asflashlights. Not sure what happened to those.
XP-L HI, if anything, will actually be less lumens than a same-binned XP-L because the HI is designed for peak intensity where as the HD (technical name for the standard XP-L with dome) is designed for max total brightness (lumens).
Its unlikely we’ll see an XP-L2 HI because of what the “upgrade” over a first Gen XP-L is… The XP-L2 / XP-G3 (they are the same generation of technology) uses a flip-chip design which by nature is inherently bad for intensity (great for lumen/watt efficiency but it allows [blue] light to excape out the sides of the package without being converted by the phosphor at all thus loosing lumens before they can hit the optics or even be made into white light).
In short, if maximum total brightness (lumens, measured in a measuring device) is what you crave go with XP-L HD (standard dome on) in the highest brightness bin you can find for sale.
If max intensity (throw) is your desire go with XP-L HI in the highest output bin you can source.
There are other non Cree LED’S that can provide either more lumens or more intensity than the XP-L(HI) but you asked specifically about a couple crees so that’s all I concentrated on here.
Cereal_Killer thanks for the info. What other LEDs are there for the p60? Thanks
Here are some options for you.
SST-20 triple 95CRI 4000k/3000k: http://kaidomain.com/Flashlight-DIY-and-Tools/led-drop-in/KDLITKER-P6-LED-Drop-in/KDLITKER-P6-TRI-Triple-Luminus-SST-20-1000-Lumens-3V-9V-P60-Drop-in
These have extremely good color rendition and tint, and very stable runtime, along with brightness. Not much throw however, but it’s decent for a triple.
You can still get extremely good color rendition here, but since it’s a single LED, brightness and efficiency will be sacrificed. However, this is the farthest throwing high CRI LED to date, and in 5000k-6500k, without going into exotic LEDs, has very good throw, even better than the XPL-Hi.
I was looking at the sst-20 but I read they needed to be pushed around 4mA to get more brightness than an XM-L or L2. These are 2800mA. Is there any truth to that?
I was also looking at the triple Nichia. Are these brighter than the SS-20 or XP-L2? Thanks
Yes, smaller chip / die means more current for the same output, basically.
But it’s concentrated in a small surface, so the intensity is higher so it throws better.
But it’s a matter of preferences too.
do you want a small spot / narrow beam, or a bit wider so you can illuminate bigger objects?
219C is quite similar to SST-20. But SST-20 has a slightly smaller chip / die than 219C.
If you want pure throw, you should get the Osram “White Flat”.
Still only available in cool white though.
Are there any sst-40 drop in’s? That may light things up well. SST-40’s are good for shear output. Not much on CRI though.
I ordered 2 drop ins from Kaidomain. One was a XP-L2 HD with multiple modes and a KDLitker triple Nichia 219C in neutral white. Before I review them I wanted to mention that the shipping and tracking were not as good as usual. The package was shipped on 12/15 and the tracking basically went dark on 12/16 and didn’t start again until the package was received at the Queens customs facility after the New Year. I will blame the holiday season and not the tariff negotiations for the slowness and the lack of tracking. It was annoying.
I ordered these two drop ins to see if they were better than the XP-L HI that is my current favorite. I have to say the XP-L HI is still number 1 in my flashlights. To me the XP-L2 is very close to the XP-L HI the amount of light is similar but I like the tighter spot and what seems to me a little extra throw on the XP-L HI.
I am disappointed in the triple Nichia mostly because it was only offered in 4000k neutral white and I really dislike the color of this light. It does throw off a lot of light, an impressive amount of light for a P6. If it were a hotter white 7000k range I would be much happier with it. But even with all the lumen I really like the throw of the XP-L HI better.
Thanks everyone for their help and sharing knowledge.
The other factor that I wish were different are the mode sequence. These came with 2 different mode options. However each mode starts at low and goes to High. I prefer starting at high and then dropping to low by clicking the tailpiece. For me it is easier to tell when I’m on the highest setting.
I think there are slightly more people who like to start with low than there are that like to start on high, but there will always be the two preferences. More advanced drivers come with both options in their mode groups. The worst solution is mode memory so you will always not know on which mode your flashlight will start.
Yes the people who open the egg on the thick end vs the thin end. :>) I prefer starting on high b/c I then know it is high. When it starts on the low side I have to go through and can’t tell if I am on high until I go past it and then have to go around again. I can’t tell high or just before high b/c I’m not sure if the battery is full or maybe a little drained and so high isn’t as strong as when on a full battery so I click past it and then around again. :>(
I have the sst20 4k and sst20 5k triple’s from KD, they are fairly decent value. I am not over impressed though, they to my eyes or compared to other drop ins much over 600, maybe 800lm tops. Tint is not too easy on my eyes either(again not over keen on the 4k and 5k temps). Also PWM and the modes are not best, strobe can be hit too easy with a double tap. I have tried to like them……………
Sportac do an xhp35 HI in 4000k, much nicer to my eyes, regardless of the lower cri, brighter and 2 mode, 13% which is decent for general use, 100% which is around 1500lm . More expensive at over $30, but all things considered, much happer with this than the triple sst20.