What kind of beam pattern is that? Just a big hotspot with no spill? Or all spill with no hotspot? Or just a bad picture? I'm not sure what you get with a flat-bottomed reflector like that and a big LED like this.
Bad picture. It's the same type of reflector as any other. The flat base does nothing. The hotspot will be small because the apparent area is large, if the emitter is well focused.
I can't wait for reviews on some of these lights!!
Well, I guess this will take longer. I'm waiting for a DX package. It left HK today, after it was sitting there for five weeks. Horrible!
Know the problem. A DX order on October 11th left HK on 2nd December and will now be in a PO truck somewhere here. But an order from Australia arrived in under a week.
As of now, XML is much more expensive than XPG.
To all of you much more experienced: I do not want a new flashlight now, but will probably buy one in the not so distant future. Will the price go down in the next 6 months?
Also, is there any hope for a well driven XML 14500? Or the 14550 is simply not powerful enought?
with 14500 you will not have the full power of the XML. With 14500 you will have to use IMR cells... and the runtime will be poor.
However, a 14500 flahslight, with a driver limiting current at 2A with 14500 and XML is possible, More than 2A on an standard 14500 cell .... possible but not recommended
I will put a XML into my A20 [ 16340 ] , for a pocket rocket .. @ 2A ?? Hopefully 1.5A as it does 1.5 with the Q5 ATM , so if I can get 2A with my better 16340's .. It will rock for a EDC ..
I think the price will come down some in a few months as these become more widely available. Because the LED die area is larger, I don't know if they will ever come down as much as a XP-G.
It's a higher bin at 350mA, so at any current, the XML will put out more light. But I imagine the hotspot won't be as bright as the XP-G, which wasn't as bright as the XR-E or XP-E. But if the current isn't regulated, it would be like runnning a XP-G from a 10440 and suck the life out of a 14500 in no time.
Cutters prices have gone up !!! Used to be $7 for a XP-G now almost $10 .. With the Ozzi banana going up in value the price should have come down , but not so ..
First XM-L mod beamshots I've seen
In an RQ thrower. Direct drive.
Since I have a defunct HS-802 this looks interesting....
http://www.light-reviews.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=927
Don, EXIF info doesn't match on all beam pics.
I didn't check that...
Ah well, we'll see what arrives when the dropin finally gets here - which is not likely to be any time soon - last package to arrive from HK had spent 7 weeks in the HK Post Office.
KD said my XM-L drop-in shipped December 2. HKP showed nothing until today when they said it was posted December 3 by the shipper. So it still hasn't left HK yet. Just got an order from ITC in 10 days, so I hope to get this towads the end of next week . . .
Meanwhile Thrunite and EagleTac have announced XM-L lights, but I don't know if they are shipping yet.
Thing is, even once it gets out of HK, the UK has had a lot of unexpected snow and it's caused chaos on the roads and railways. And, as a result with the mail.
My BLF special hasn't arrived yet :(
And I've still not found the U20
And I've lost the Trustfire F22
My Eastward 4 mode spent 1 week doing nothing until yesterday ... Would be nice if it arrives this week ... [ Would be nice ]
yea, with an XML go 18650 (or bigger lol) or go home!
dont mess with 14500's at that amperage for sure.
im still sitting tight for 14mm versions!
tho i MAY buy one to try on my p60 base lol..... still thinking lol
Me too, I ordered the C8 from KD instead.
Hello everyone. I've been a flashlight fan for many years, but didn't know there were communities like this until recently, so I've had a lot of fun browsing your message forum. Thanks for sharing everything here for others to learn. I've got a (ShiningBeam) MG P-Rocket 1x18650 SST-50 running at about 2 amps that I love as well as a very nice/portable Fenix LD20 CREE XP-G R4 2xAA, but I'd like to also get something a little brighter. I'm considering one of these T6 CREE XM-L lights from KD mentioned in this thread. My main goals are a very bright light I can bring into a large attic/shed when rummaging around or to bring into the woods around the house, so I need some flood and throw is not as important. I don't care as much about runtime, since the light will stay at home, but a usable low mode < 75 lumens and tailstanding would be a nice bonus. I'm trying to spend less than $100, which actually seems to rule out all of the SST-90 lights I've seen. I'm not an expert in much of this, so I have a few questions.
Are these T6 CREE XM-L lights likely to be brighter than my mid/high end SST-50 1x18650 light @2a?
There are 2x18650 and 1x18650 versions of the T6 light. Does adding the second 18650 mainly increase the brightness or the runtime? Or does it depend on the electronics?
Would these XM-L lights be as bright as a SST-90 with 2x18650 2900mah AW batteries? Or should I look for other LEDs like a P7 for more lumens with that type of power input?