Thanks, angerdan, I forgot about the color thread. Iāll post there as well. I had noticed there were posts over here where people had attempted to order some and had failed. This thread is a beast.
Streamtronics has made a fantastic improvement to anduril 2 which allows for tint ramping at the lowest mode and he says it has the ability to make the dimmest mode even lower which Iām most excited about.
I was surprised that I was the first person who has tested out his version of anduril 2 and so far it has been terrific!
[quote=SR-G]
Do you know which screws (with which dimensions) to buy and that would fit the BLT L1 screw holes ? I ordered these ones (flavor āLS047ā / screw 4.5mm + additional height 3mm), and sadly they donāt fit well (and not in the same way between hole on the side versus at the bottom = it goes deeper on the side) (and i havenāt been able to find models without the āgapā in the middle).
Hi SR-G Just use a rubber washer to give you a good fit. Maybe something like a washing machine or dishwasher hose washer or a jumper valve washer. In the olden days, I used one on my camera tripod as the depth of the tripod screw hole varied from camera to camera.
I have compared my LT1 to my Fenix CL30R and the fenix on turbo mode is quite alot more lumens than the LT1 sadly
If the LT1 has those extra bridges soldered can itās higher output stay sustained without overheating/having to step down?
Thanks, so will it get damaged running higher? I usually run it hours straight in up to 30degrees C static environment, Sounds like I best leave it stock.
I have a question. The LT1 doesnāt seem to be very efficient in its power usage; is that mainly because of extra circuitry to handle the tint mixing, or what?
Say the LT1 on high produces in the neighborhood of 600 lumens, for a bit less than 6 hours. The Q8 with the same 4 18650s can produce 750 lumens for something like 17 hours. The LT1 sucks juice a lot faster.
Thatās not to take away from the advantages of a purpose-built lantern for specific uses, especially one that can vary its color temp output. Iām just thinking that when a person is camping, thrifty energy use from whatever cells one has packed can become a factor, too.
The LT1 is far from an efficiency champion, but the Q8 performance you suggest is not accurate. It would be nearly 250 lumens per Watt. No flashlight on the market comes close to that.
Since Iāve actually been curious about a comparison with the CL30R for a while, I went ahead and used this discussion as an excuse to make one, and I added the Q8 as well, since you brought it up.
In general, the LT1 compromises on efficiency for the sake of having high CRI (especially so at the warm end of the tint ramp). Based on Lumeniacās photos, I suspect the CL30R is also high CRI. The LT1 and CL30R both compromise on efficiency for the sake of having well-diffused output. I assume the CL30R achieves its better overall efficiency by utilizing a buck driver (if a Lume1 or similar topology driver was ever offered as a mod for the LT1, I would be all over it!).
All of them are similar in size and weight, but of course, different shapes, and the CL30R holds one less battery. The Lumeniac review linked below has really good photo comparisons of the LT1 to the CL30R, showing by size and relative output under controlled conditions. A few users elsewhere have provided comparisons between the Q8 and LT1
I personally went with the less expensive LT1 with itās tint ramping and Anduril, and am very happy with it. The Fenix looks like a really good lantern, too, and adds powerbank functionality and Fenixās product support.
Comparison table (smartphones may need to be landscape orientation for best viewing):
BLF Q8
BLF LT1 CW
BLF LT1 WW
Fenix CL30R
Max Output (lm)
5,000
463
355
650
Efficacy (lm/W)
80
71
55
100
Regulated time on Max
N/A
7 hours
7 hours
2 hours, 40 min
Color Temp
5000K?
5000K
2700K
4000K?
CRI
70?
90
90
80+?
Batteries
4 x 18650
4 x 18650
4 x 18650
3 x 18650
Weight @ 48g/cell
592g
597g
597g
556g
Sources:
Q8 Output: Advertised
Q8 Runtime Test: Zeroair review using 3000mAh cells
Q8 Efficacy: Calculated stepwise from Zeroairās graph in combination with advertised output.
LT1 Output: Maukka Test
LT1 Efficacy: Calculated from Maukkaās based on 5 x 0.35A driver and 3.7V average battery voltage
LT1 and CL30R Runtimes: Lumeniacās Review using 2600mAh cells
CL30R Output: Manufacturer specified (Not tested. See Lumeniacās photos for comparison)
CL30R Efficacy: Calculated stepwise from Lumeniacās graph and advertised output.
I got the Q8 numbers from a post by CivilGearReviews, which cited alleged mfr test runtime results. Note the āGroup 8ā data line in the chart. CivilGearReviews thread
Not saying that Iāve done anything to confirm accuracy of those numbers, though.
Iām not comparing max output to max output, but rather m/l equivalent lumens of output.
Runtime of the LT1 at high setting has been mentioned by several people, and GreenCampfire did a runtime test and posted a graph showing almost 6 hours before output fell off sharply.