I just received my pair of D4S from Mountain and am thrilled with the results. The XPL-HI NW 5000K and the Nichia 216c 5000K 90CRI. Pleased to report both a winners in the tint lottery, very pleasing to the eye with excellent color rendition, a truly neutral white. No noticeable tint artifacts or shifting. If the rest of the light was mediocre (which is FAR from the truth — it is excellent!) I would be sold on the quality of the emitters ALONE.
I did notice fairly quickly the Nichias generate much more heat more quickly at high output levels, and after 60 seconds of turbo the XPL-HI was noticeably brighter, also $18 more expensive.
Im so impressed with the quality of tint on both emitters, the clincher for me, that if you had to have just one, spend the extra and go with the XPL-HI 5000K NW. The Nichias color rendition is superb, perhaps offsetting its heat penalty, which is really only evident at long interval high level settings/turbo. With fully charged cells, the Nichia is actually noticeably brighter than the XPL-HI NW with 3.7V cells.
The real lottery winner is the XPL-HI 5000K NW. Compared to the BLF Q8, the D4S XPL-HI NW has a much better, even pure white tint, vs the Q8 and its yellowish halo around the hotspot and slightly warm artifacting in general.
While not 90CRI, the XPL-HI impressed me greatly with its color rendition quality. Produces less heat and greater overall output than the Nichia. Bottom line, if it has to be one, go with the XPL-HI NW 5000K. OTOH, the exceptional tint quality of BOTH is so good, the die hard tint fanatic should be very happy with BOTH. It’s really a best of both worlds scenario here with the excellent D4S.
I was going to experiment with the XP-G2 at 5700K, but budget limitations kicked in. I’d be really interested to hear from someone with the CW 6500K XPL-HI and how it compares to the 5700K XP-G2.
I used to be a die hard CW fan, yet recently have warmed to neutral tints in favor of sheer maximum lumen numbers, perhaps a midlife crisis adaptation, hmmmmm.
One small nitpick, but serious. The lanyard mounting hole is a very small square cut machined into the end of the tailcap, its edges are RAZOR sharp, a bit uncomfortable. Requiring a bit of Dremel massage or grip tape to cover it.
Oh! Almost forgot... the Bonus Easter Egg feature... the (i’ll Wager it’s neodymium) magnet in the tailcap is wonderful, extremely powerful, so you will love it or hate it. With it, and 2 D4Ss, you easily place them end to end (be CAREFUL when you do this, at first) and together they form a very strong bond, in fact an entirely new Q8 Killer form factor: like the double-edged Light Saber from Star Wars.
End to end, its a much more comfortable, naturally balanced, lighter weight, and better fit in the hand than the BLF Q8. In ceiling bounce tests, the XPL-HI NW actually edges out the BLF Q8 with 30Q cells on turbo and holds its own against the BLF Q8 over most of its battery life, with just a single (the exceptional Shockli 5500mAh 26650) cell.
When 2 are conjoined by tail magnet, you have double the runtime AND output for less than the weight of the BLF Q8. It’s a single cell Q8 killer, that when doubled, becomes a Q8 Dominator. My fun nickname for the D4S Squared Configuration.
For the true DieHard: The D4S Squared “Dominator” EDC, if it has to be only One... (here’s 2-in-1 :-) )
Conclusion: this is an exceptional “total package” flashlight, with every detail for high performance already turn-key and built in, and an exceptional value for the money. Highly recommended, with exceptional prompt customer service and shipping from Mountain Electronics. Kudos and Thanks, Richard !!
Congrats to the other owners, and strong recommendations to the BLF community!
Cheers and Good Lux!