Yes, Clemence has been nothing but a joy to work with. The Utorch not so much. Now Im thinking of trying a Klarus Mi1c, still aspheric. Reports from djozz indicate the Klarus runtime on Medium (6.5 hours stock) drops 23, to 5 hours with an E21A, but that still beats the runtime of the Utorch (3.25 hours stock), w quad E21A, that drops 38, to 2 hours. The reason the Klarus runs longer is because it is at a lower brightness. The reason the runtime drops is that the drivers increase current when presented with lower Vf than the stock XPL. I think…
The Utorch has a 100 lumen medium, and the Klarus has a 45 lumen medium, in stock form. The Utorch drops to 39 lumens w a quad e21A, (thats a 61% drop), while the Klarus drops to 30 lumens w a single E21A (a 33% drop).
The Klarus also has a better pocket clip, as far as bezel up carry, that I value for HatLamp Use…
stay tuned for the adventures of HighR9 in the land of Luminosity, not to be confused with LuciFerocity, in the UnderWorld.
Meanwhile I continue to carry the sw45 N219b modded Utorch, thanks to Texas Ace. Love the LED.
And if you cant be, with the LED you Love, Love the one youre with!
Got Mods will Travel.
this post needs more photos… here are some of the LED swaps being discussed, Im particularly attracted to the options with high R9:
less interested in the Lower R9 variants
And for a single EDC selection, my vote goes to the now extinct in the wild sw45
bottom line is that for the Utorch and Klarus lights, changing to E21A reduces runtime, while changing to N219b does not.