LOL HC, yeah yeah yeah. But like he says, variables can make it difficult to predict. I predict the warm white option FW3A will be at least 300 lumens less bright.
Itād be nice for someone with the 7A and a proper calibrated lumen tube to measure theirs in order to help me calibrate my own shoddy homemade lumen tube, but I fear the 7A will be a less popular choice maybe
Jason, he only asked that someone with a properly calibrated light tube take a reading on the 7A FW3A in comparison to the 1A FW3A so he can make a wise purchase decision.
As a first approximation, expect 15% less at 3000K compared to the cool white
Iām basing this on what Cree specifies in the datasheet for the best flux bin of each color temperature.
Like DB Custom says, the datasheet doesnāt tell you everything, and even what it does varies. The worst bin of 3000K would rate at 25% less than the best bin listed of any XP-L HI color temperature. The best bin of the 3000K against the worst bin of the cool whites would only be 6% lower output.
Since max output of the FW3A depends on a FET, you can also get significant differences if the forward voltage is different.
Iāve shaved all the LH351Ds I have, it made them throwier (more throw than a X-PL HD, less than an HIā¦ maybe more throw if you cut very close to the phosphor?), the color temp goes down ~500-1000 degrees and the tint gets rosier depending on how much you slice off. I took off maybe 1/2 of the height of the dome to get the result I wanted.
Tests of them show about 10-15% output loss at most power levels, and Iād say it looks that way to my eyes as well. In the same host at the same current a shaved 4000K got pretty close to the throw of a stock 4000K SST-20 and had a wider beam.
If youāre bold/stupid/have steady hands you could partially shave some lights without removing the MCPCB. Not saying that itās a good idea or that I would ever do that out of sheer laziness but itās possible.
Received my production FW3A w/ XP-L HI 3D today. Works perfectly, even though I did tighten the driver retaining ring before even turning the light on for the first time. The finish is just slightly lighter and bluer than the proto.
The little protrusion on the clip ring is perfectly fine. It helps with the cigar grip, while the proto with a narrower ring is a bit slippery.
The emitters arenāt rosy for sure, but Iāve noticed that lower CRI emitters donāt look as green as for example CRI90 219Cs with similar duvs. This measured 4600K duv 0.0063 at 1x7135, but visually was alright. Gets closer to BBL on higher modes (8x7135, FET). The fine visual experience is also explained by my current ambient lighting conditions that are even greener (4800K duv 0.0085) because of UV blocking windows and lots of trees outside.
Integrated, the tint is not as bad as in the hotspot. So there is some tint shift in the beam but itās not very visible to the eye. Output is 139 lumens in the 1x7135 mode.