The driver is redeigned which means SST20 white and SST20DR are controlled separately. I blieve the forward voltage is not an issue, but will bring details if I got more information.
The D25S headlamp gives 1.5A to each SST40 led, 3A in total. I am not sure about this prototype for now, will bring more details later.
And it’s not possible to use SST40 White + SST20DR, emitter must be in the same size. That’s what I was told.
You are right on “lumens are the selling point” but it seems white led can not be as bright as 1000 lumens. It will be 300-500 Lumens I guess. The current can not be too high, because the shell, springs can not take it.
That’s why I am not sure if people will be interested in a headlamp with not that bright white led + 660nm red led.
Most consumers are still in the “dark age” of so called “standard” CRI (65-ish) cool/cold white emitters. They should level up already. It is the light quality, which does matter - especially for headlamp usage. 500lm 95 CRI is far more superior, than 700lm 65 CRI. I do believe, that good marketing should eventually manage to sell high CRI flashlights/headlamps, so they could be eventually become the most desired option.
If so called “standard” CRI would be at minimum 85 and not 65, I wouldn’t have raised my word, but 65 is like smelling the dog poop instead of chocolate.
This is when, manufacturer should give, what the consumer really needs, even if he/she wants some different by judging the product only by output numbers.
By the way, I remember, that BlueSwordM could contact somebody from Luminus, and there were some promises to extend high CRI lineup to SST-40 as well, but unfortunately, that didn’t happen yet.
90% of the time using a headlamp I'm not needing maximum output so SST20 with all the throw it has and the ability to have a 4000K high cri makes this set up an attractive offering . I've been a big fan of the D-10 and saw the dual lights in the D25 as kind of silly //Unless you actually do something like this with the second emitter . Sounds like a good idea to me . I'm in ... :)
The dual SST40’s give a very nice spread though and is what you need in a headlamp. We use a flashlight for distance needs most of the time. I guess this would be why zoomies are favorable like led lenser.
I’m sure there’s people who’ll like it but we need to keep in mind the bigger picture of how much sales they’ll get. Barely anyone will buy it outside of BLF
None of my high CRI models sell, 9/10 they’ll go for the high lumens
This would be the best option for many outdoor folks I know (including amatheur astronomers).
Anyway, I would consider a headband strap upgrade as well. For a 14500 headlamp, this headband strap would be fine, but for ~130g weight (including battery), adding a top strap would be helpful. (The headband for SP40 is much better)
If these details are all get realized, then I can notice a larger group of Hungarian amatheur astronomers to get this as a proper headlamp for them, if interested. Amatheur astronomers like to use red lights for keeping dark adapted eyes, but for frequent occasional usage, a warmish neutral high CRI white comes useful, for when small parts are slipped into the grass, and they need to find those - and when set up or collect their gears on the field.
the max current is 2.2A for now, but it can be raised to 3A so the SST20 6500K/4000K can be brighter. The lowest current 10mA, I am not sure if it can be lower. My eyes still hurt when looking directly at the led at Lowest brightess.
I doubt it since they’re just using the host which has micro usb. Not really worth it on such a cheap model. Sofirn aren’t the manufacturer for that host.
Yes, the previous model put out more light. But the use case for this light is different than the SST-40 model, imo.
I believe all the average consumer needs to know is that this light for close up work. Ie, camping, walking around your house at night, or reading. These are also situations where better CRI can be useful.
The SST-40 model is for applications where you need lots of light with some reach.
Assuming that D25S aims to a target group with emphasis on a "no frills" light for a true budget price, I would definitely say YES.
Yes, I believe that kind of headlamp would sell well. Eventually, it's all about the right target group and the budget this kind of group is willing to spend.
In my humble opinion, D25S does not aim to be a highly sophisticated premium flashlight, not even close. If I am not totally mistaken, the odds are good that Sofirn (and maybe Wurkkos as well) will be developing their own dual emitter headlamp which provides both white and (deep) red light. That flashlight will probably put more emphasis on a more flexible UI, better host design, native USB-C support, better driver components, way more flexibility on minimum LED current, etc..
If I was to give recommendations, I would suggest downsizing a light like Wurkkos HD20 or D25S to AA/14500 format (or at least keep 18650 size), strip everything down to be as lightweighted as possible and use an efficient constant current buck/boost driver (depending on battery chemistry). 300 lumens of white light is a lot for a small headlamp and should normally suffice in most situations for close-range illumination. With deep red in addition you may get up to 30-40lm of pure red light for preserving your night vision in dark caves or too reduce backscatter of light in misty ambient conditions. Thinking about preserving one's night vision, I would suggest to have ultra-low "firefly" mode(s) for using deep red, again something that D25S is not designed to for.
In the end, it's about the right advertising and fulfilling the needs of your target groups.The majority of customers will always follow the way to get most lumens for the best achievable price. I believe in order to catch the spoiled flashoholic's attention it takes to highlight terms like constant brightness, 95CRI color rendition, high efficiency driver, ingenious user interface.
