Price of 7 bucks at cutter doesn't seem so high to me... the XM-L might replace both lines MC-E/P7 in fully driven and XR-E/XP-G in underdriven... one emitter to rule them all ;-)
You're right, they charge $7 for xp-g at cutter.
I was thinking of reel prices, which are much lower.
Of course its not regulated. If DX sells ANY li-ion lights that are properly flat current regulated through the ENTIRE operating voltage range of the battery via the diver, I am not aware of them. Some do to a certain degree, but I don't recall one that maintains that current from start and until the battery is depleted (3.2 - 3.5V). In most cases, or to a greater degree, the stability of a descent battery somewhat provides this service - not the cheap driver. Depending on the resistance and forward voltage requirements of the particular xm-l sample I receive will determine if the stock driver in my light will be appropriate. I suspect it will but, and I will test it at the connecting lead to the star with a DMM just to be sure its within spec. Up to .5A over will not be a cause for alarm unless I read or discover otherwise. What are your thoughts? Have you found any drivers that might regulate well @3.0A from 4.2 down to 3.2V? Anyone? (something without hords of 7135's please)
As an aside, the lumens on the preliminary spec sheet aren't as great as many had anticipated. Still, I suspect it will be a very noticeable leap above the current MC-E or P7 offerings when driven at the same levels, at least to the naked eye. Along with that, the large footprint of the LED to the mounting surface should transmit heat quite well, and hopefully allow for a certain amount of current above the published max... we can only hope! This is exciting and it can only get better as newer and more efficient bins are introduced. The true test if these produce bright light without artifacts; would be for gynocologists that currently hail their remote xenon short arc light sources for shedding light upon their subjects, to make the change to XM-L. I guess I better find a forum where members boast about their new speculums to see if anyone is interested in the XM-L.
Historically, cutter charges a slight premium for their product, but at least you have access to lesser available bins on the star size you want. And probably more important is the fact that you know what you are getting when you order... unlike the bin lottery you play with Chinese lights manufacturers, including the more expensive varieties.
Star size you want ? from cutter , I think not .
Cutter is very limited in star size ... I would be buying more XR-E R2 if they were not limited to 20mm bases ....
Ive already been pushing for 14mm stars , but the flashlight market is so small for cutter that there simply not interested ..
I can only hope the XM is not going to be limited to 20mm bases from cutter , as I simply cant use them ...
?
Of course its not regulated
I'm not so sure. The figures from the dx forum seem to imply that it's regulated to some extent, or otherwise the draws reported wouldn't all be around 3. Witness the recent tr-801 thread where people got everything from 0.6 to 1.9A draws. :) "Regulated" is a tricky word. A lot of these cheap lights aren't flat regulated (and really, it hardly matters), just enough so that it won't fry the emitter with a new battery, and it won't drop too low with a discharging one.
If it's not regulated, the XM-L would likely fail, as I'm guessing the Vf might be lower than mc'e with the typical process improvements, or at least not exactly the same unless you get lucky.
This is supposed the ~2.5A driver at dx that actually works http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.20330
That driver is huge !!!
I would suggest most of your SSC P7 / MC-E drivers will be ok , since they dont seem to push the SSC P7 to max .
KD sells ... http://www.kaidomain.com/ProductDetails.aspx?ProductId=1845
http://www.shiningbeam.com/servlet/the-132/3-dsh-Mode-Regulated-Circuit-Board/Detail
I currently have both in hand for the XM ,
That SB one is 8x 7135, which works in the brute form manner, and the KD one according to its reviews is not really any more than a 1A driver.
I'm hoping someone will try KD's "1100mAh" 8x7135 driver:
http://www.kaidomain.com/ProductDetails.aspx?ProductID=10995
Looks similar to Shiningbeam's but cheaper and free shipping.
I ordered one yesterday. I don't have any light that would need or could even handle that kind of curent, but I figured it's the cheapest source of 7135s available. Remove the chips on the bottom and you're left with a 1.4A NANJ AK-47, plus four 7135s 
.
If you read my entire post, I do believe that is what I already tried to convey, but I definitely agree with you.
http://www.kaidomain.com/ProductDetails.aspx?ProductID=10995 Ordered last week .... I think the product description is wrong , or the picture is wrong ...
. http://www.kaidomain.com/ProductDetails.aspx?ProductId=1845 Not a 1A driver , Direct drive on High , SSC P7 and MC-E over 2A
I just hope the MX will be on at least a 16mm base ... 14mm would be better ..
I think the stars are all added by other parties. I've not seen anything that says Cree mounts them on stars.
BICBW. Have been before, will be again.
I'm a lot more interested in a new LED than I will ever be in a new bin. It may have its drawbacks, but until you get the light in your hands, who's to know?
Not a 1A driver , Direct drive on High , SSC P7 and MC-E over 2A
Really? What would you guess the other SOIC chip is for, the photos don't show the label?
No idea , but I have been using this driver for almost 2 years now , very versatile , Ive used it on everything , Cree XR-E , Diamond Dragons , SSC P4 , Luxeon K2 TFFC , XP-E , XP-G , MC-E , SSC P7 ..
I alway have this driver on hand ... http://www.kaidomain.com/ProductDetails.aspx?ProductId=1845
Agree of the first one.
The latter I have put in a MC-E plugin. It draws only 1 amp at the tail. I have ordered a 2.8 amps from an other vendor and cross my fingers.
2 Possibilities , faulty driver , or lousy LED .. I have a SSC P7 that only draws 1.2A , go figure ...
The KD 1845 driver , I tried one with a XP-G R5 a few days ago , and it pulled 2.2A at the tail , to much for the little XP-G ....
orgasm!